Bannack State Park

Ever since I spent four years of my life in the Spori building at BYU-Idaho and saw beautiful framed photos students took at Bannack State Park lining the halls, I've wanted to go there -- and in June 2012, I finally made the trip. If you want to experience an eerie ghost town the way it was meant to be experienced, Bannack is for you. It's out in the middle of nowhere (seriously -- the area around it is sagebrush and farmland), and then suddenly, you come down the little dirt road and encounter a full town, just as it would have looked in the 1870s.

Don't miss:

• The Masonic lodge (pictured three from the bottom). It's creepy, full of old desks and school equipment and can only be accessed (the top floor, anyway) by rickety old stairs. What's not to love?
• Hotel Meade: This old hotel was recently restored and painted with butter yellow paint that was popular in the 1800s -- and it has an incredible staircase. I was totally freaked out while walking around in it, though. It made me think of the creepy short story "The Yellow Wallpaper." Anybody remember that?
• The gold panning tubs. Apparently during Bannack Days in July, you can pan for gold and take part in quite a few old-fashioned activities, which sounds like fun. We were there about a month too early, and it was FREEZING, so I recommend going later in the summer. But either way, the gold panning tubs are cool and make a nice picture.

Getting there: 

From Idaho, take I-15 north toward Butte and turn left on MT-278. Bannack is about three hours from St. Anthony and 25 miles west of Dillon, Montana.

Glacier National Park

Andrew and I spent only a day in Glacier National Park, but that was plenty of time to capture lots of photos. Rather than go on and on about how incredible this is and how this should be on every person's bucket list, I'll let the images speak for themselves.

Don't miss:

• The Going-to-the-Sun Road: This road cuts through the middle of the park and is absolutely stunning. Unfortunately, the majority of the road was closed when we were there because of snow. So my main recommendation is to wait until late June or even early July before going to Glacier National Park. The snow takes forever to melt.
• Two Medicine Lakes: These gorgeous lakes are right of the base of some massive mountains. I seriously thought I was staring at the Matterhorn.
• Lake McDonald: This giant lake has the most glassy water, and the mountains are incredible.
• Weeping Wall: I probably saw this the first time I went to Glacier National Park when I was 13, but this was on the Going-to-the-Sun Road portion that was closed. It is amazing, though -- just google pictures of it.

Getting there:
From Idaho, take Highway 20 all the way to the Montana border and then turn onto ID-87 (which becomes MT-87). From here, there are several ways to get to Glacier National Park. I would recommend the scenic route we took, through Butte, Missoula and then around the east side of Flathead Lake (the west side is not nearly as scenic). To do this, take W-287 N to I-90 W, and then take US-93 to MT-35. Be sure to make lots of stops along the way, especially in Missoula and Bigfork, which is on Flathead Lake. It's a long trip!

Virginia City, Montana

One of my favorite places to go when you just have a few hours to spend but want to go somewhere off the beaten path is Virginia City, Montana -- and I went there for a second time in June 2012. Originally a mining town, it's now a preserved ghost town with historic homes, well-worn buildings and quiet little shops. Some of these photos are also taken in nearby Nevada City, another ghost town, which you can also visit while you're there.

Don't miss: 

• Boot Hill Cemetery: Located on a hill overlooking Virginia City, this little cemetery marks the graves of several outlaws who were hanged there in the 1800s.
• Virginia City Creamery: Get homemade ice cream to cool off while you're walking around the town. I recommend the huckleberry.

Getting here: 
From Idaho, take Highway 20 north all the way to ID-87 N and turn left (toward Ennis). Turn left onto U.S. 287 N and then a make a slight left on MT 287 N.