8 Easy Things to do While Working Remotely in Livingston, Montana
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Working Remotely in Montana
With the world changing a lot since 2020, many more people have the capability to base themselves wherever they want and work remotely. If you are in this position and want to get the most out of remote work, why not work remotely in Livingston, Montana? There are plenty of things you can get out and do after you’re done working to be able to maximize your time in the gorgeous surroundings.
After basing ourselves remotely in Livingston, Montana for a little over a week in June here are all of the fun & easy things we did!
About Livingston, Montana
Livingston is located a little over an hour north of Yellowstone National Park while still being around 30 mins from Bozeman, Montana. Livingston has a small town feel but it’s large enough where there are several restaurants, breweries and things to do. It’s a perfect place to base yourself out of for some adventures around remote working!
Things to do in Livingston, Montana
1) Golfing
Imagine golfing with picturesque scenery along the Yellowstone River with the snow capped Absoroka & Crazy Mountains off in the distance. This perfectly explains what its like golfing at Livingston Golf Course. You can book a tee time in advance online or by calling the clubhouse. You can easily fit 9 holes in after a day of work so be sure to add this activity to your list of things to do while working remotely in Livingston, Montana.
2) Hiking nearby Livingston, Montana
Livingston Montana is near the Gallatin National Forest. The Gallatin National Forest is a great area that’s close to Livingston, Montana for a quick hike. Pine Creek Falls out and back hike at 2.5 miles with a beautiful waterfall at the end was a perfect hike. Dogs are allowed on leash and mid week the trail wasn’t overly busy.
According to All Trails, this hike is considered moderately challenging however I’d rate it closer to an advanced easy hike. You can continue on for a longer hike, but given the fact that it was an evening after work hike it was the perfect length.
To access the hike from Livingston it’s a little over 15 mile drive that takes about 30 mins. But, I promise it’s so worth it! The falls are stunning and its a beautiful way to experience the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness in the Gallatin National Forest.
Be sure to be “bear aware“! Carry bear spray and prepare yourself with the appropriate information if you do encounter a bear while hiking so you know what to do. You can purchase bear spray many places in the area such as convenience stores & grocery stores. If you plan ahead, buy it online from Amazon. (This is what we did.) But, keep in mind that bear spray is really hazardous and you cannot fly with it on a commercial airplane (even if it’s in your checked luggage.) Several places in the area will also rent the bear spray if you don’t want to purchase it. But, in the off chance you do experience an aggressive bear it’s way better to be prepared.
3) Visit Yellowstone Gateway Museum
Yellowstone Gateway Museum has more like bank hours so be sure to check the opening hours before you go. Since we’re still working central hours for our full time remote jobs we were able to get there with still ample time to explore and learn before they closed.
It included many interactive exhibits, and be sure to get your “ticket” to punch off the exhibits you visit. Due to a focus on Livingston, Montana being a gateway to Yellowstone National Park in history much of the museum talks about the railroad.
If you have a National Parks passport, there is an official stamp (or cancellation) here too! Due to this being on the Lewis & Clark trail. Following the whole Lewis & Clark trail would make for one hell of a road trip, but I digress! When visiting the museum, be sure to bring your passport with you if you’re into that thing.
4) Visit Chico Hot Springs
Chico Hot Springs Resort is located a short drive from Livingston, Montana in Pray. It’s south of Livingston toward Yellowstone National Park. Staying at the resort can be an experience in itself as they offer horse riding, the hot springs and other activities onsite. The best part, honestly was the amazing dinner in the historic dining room. I will be dreaming about that meal for a long time. Chico Hot Springs Historic Dining room has earned many awards for having an extensive wine list as well. Everything was absolutely amazing! Just be sure to make a reservation in advance because prime dinner time reservations tend to book out.
5) Livingston Craft Beer Breweries & Restaurants
The Livingston area has so many great places to have dinner. Keep in mind, some of the more popular spots get really busy, so if they take reservations it’s a good idea to make one in advance.
Neptunes Taphouse & eatery
There are actually two different locations for Neptune’s brewerin in Livingston. Neptune’s Taphouse & eatery is a restaurant also carrying the beers from the nearby brewery. While Neptune’s brewery is a more traditional craft beer brewery the Taphouse and eatery is a restaurant with an extensive tap list & cocktail menu. The cuisine isn’t something you’d expect to find in Livingston, Montana. It is mostly seafood & sushi (hence Neptune you know the the King of water.)
Katabatic Brewery
Located in historic downtown Livingston, Montana this brewery has all of the amazing brewery vibes. Fresh beer on tap, rustic interior and super helpful and friendly beertenders. In typical fashion, wanting to try all of the things the fact that they offer tasters and flights always makes visiting a new brewery a great experience.
Chico Hot Springs (Main Dining Room)
I will be dreaming of this meal for some time! Everything from the appetizer, salad, drinks & wine, to the main course and dessert was absolutely amazing. If you’re in the area, plan ahead and make dinner reservations. You won’t regret it! You can also plan to stay at the resort or get a day pass to soak in the naturally heated pools.
Mark’s In & Out
This is a place where all the locals go (so you know it’s good!) On a Friday night, the line was pretty long but it was totally worth the wait. All of the ice cream they use is a local Montana brand, Wilcoxson’s. They do shakes and malts and have an extensive flavor list. The all beef burgers are local and fresh and word to the wise the double and triples aren’t huge so don’t shy away from ordering those!
They will ask how you want your burger. The “Standard” is ketchup, mustard, pickle & onion. But, you can also add mayo, ranch dressing, sweet relish or tartar sauce if you’re so inclined. The burgers and sides are separate and everything we had was really tasty! This was our order: Bacon Supercheese with the standard minus mustard add mayo lettuce & tomato, a Supercheese with the standard minus mustard add mayo lettuce & tomato, a side of french fries, a side of battered mushrooms and a peanut butter hot fudge shake as well as a fountain drink.
Once you order from the order window, you will receive a buzzer and when your order is ready they’ll buzz you and you pick up your order on the side past the order window at a separate window. It’s really just a walk up place, however, across the street there are several picnic tables to eat your meal at if the weather is nice.
Rosa’s Pizza
We stumbled upon this place being super hangry driving back from Yellowstone National Park one day. Wanting to pick up pizza and being thoroughly against ordering Dominos or a chain pizza enter Rosas! Since they state they specialize in specialty pizza, that seems like an oxy moron but I’ll be honest that’s what made me say yup lets get pizza here! Ordering online as we were driving back to Livingston was absolutely perfect.
It’s located in a strip mall that’s really easy to pop into driving back from Gardiner, Montana. There are many different pizzas offered but we love to try the jalapeno popper pizza which came with cream cheese to spread on top. It was really tasty, the only qualm was they didn’t take the seeds out of the jalapenoes!
Livingston Bar & Grille
Definitely a little bit of a nicer spot to have dinner. The service here was super attentive and after speaking with the manager and realizing they only are open limited hours due to staffing challenges made me realize how much local businesses like this are hurting after the pandemic. All of the food was great and I would definitely go back. We ordered the fried deviled eggs as an appetizer then a bison steak & a chicken pasta dish.
Faye’s Cafe
Our last meal in Livingston, Montana before we left town was at Faye’s Cafe for a lovely breakfast. Seriously, if you had to pick one place to go while in Livingston this would be it! Everything was amazing from the friendly service, down to the cute quirky non matching napkins and decor to the concept. I absolutely LOVED the concept! They don’t have a traditional menu it’s super creative. Sure there are a few daily specials and things that are constant (like the cinnamon rolls.) Trust me, get a cinnamon roll! But, the rest of the menu is so much fun, you pick a few descriptive words and more of a category and what you get is somewhat of a surprise. An example would be you say I want a sweet and savory eggs benedict. Then the exact dish you get is somewhat of a surprise.
We ordered one special which was a biscuits and gravy omelet and a fayes choice sweet and savory plate. The sweet and savory plate ended up being two eggs, some delicious cheesy grits with some grilled veggies mixed in and some waffles with whipped cream, gummy bears and syrup. It was all so good! I would return in a heartbeat.
Pickle Barrel Livingston
This is actually a chain, but a chain that is local to Montana. The Livingston store was the first one to be established so that has to count for something, right? Anyhow, on our way out of town we grabbed some “half” subs that were no joke! They were absolutely huge and loaded with fillings. This would make a great place to stop even if it’s for a lunch to throw in the cooler for hiking adventures in the Gallatin National Forest or Yellowstone National Park. So good!
6) Relax
After working & adventuring be sure to take care of yourself with some down time at your hotel, vacation rental or RV park. It’s important to stay balanced even when you’re probably like me and want to do alllllll of the things!
7) Walk around and explore Historic Downtown Livingston, Montana
Downtown Livingston has blocks filled with restaurants, bars & retail stores. If you look down some of the streets you’ll be greeted with the views of the nearby mountains. The downtown area is really very walkable. There are a lot of locally owned shops to explore and you can pop into the breweries or bars for a quick drink.
8) Spend the Weekend in Yellowstone National Park
Whether you’re planning on seeing all of Yellowstone or just the northern part, Yellowstone is easily accessible from Livingston, Montana. The northern part of Yellowstone is more remote and you’re more likely to see wildlife.
Here’s a one day itinerary for visiting Yellowstone National Park from the Southern Entrance. The southern entrance is more so if you’re basing yourself out of Jackson, Wyoming. But, while basing yourself out of Livingston, you’re going to enter Yellowstone from the Northern Entrance. From Livingston, you will travel about an hour S on highway 89 to the Northern Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. Entrance to the park from the North entrance is right after you pass through Gardiner, Montana near the Montana & Wyoming state borders.
Beyond Things to do in Livingston, Montana: More Montana Travel
Livingston, Montana was our first stop on a stint of living out of our RV as we relocate states. We were able to have some fun in Livingston, explore Yellowstone National Park from the North Entrance and then head to Glacier National Park as our next location in Montana.
ONE DAY YELLOWSTONE ITINERARY FROM JACKSON & THE SOUTH ENTRANCE
YELLOWSTONE FROM THE NORTH ENTRANCE
12 AMAZING THINGS TO DO IN WHITEFISH, MONTANA
