Over $100

A fairly average but conveniently located motel that’s significantly cheaper in the off-season is the Best Western City Center (507 W. Main St., 406/587-3158, www.bestwestern.com [1], $100 and up), on the edge of downtown not far from the university [2]. There’s a pool plus a restaurant and lounge.

Also convenient is the Lewis & Clark Motel (824 W. Main St., 406/586-3341 or 800/332-7666, www.lewisandclarkmotel.net [3], $100 and up), a large complex that includes a 20-yard indoor pool, fitness center, sauna, hot tub, plus a restaurant and lounge.

The Voss Inn (319 S. Willson Ave., 406/587-0982, www.bozeman-vossinn.com [4], $100–120 s, $120–140 d), in a 120-year-old mansion on a lovely and well-situated neighborhood street, is Bozeman’s [5] premier bed-and-breakfast. The six guest rooms are furnished with antiques, and each has a private bathroom. Breakfast is served in the guest parlor or in guests’ rooms, and afternoon tea is served in the parlor.

Lehrkind Mansion (719 N. Wallace Ave., 406/585-6932 or 800/992-6932, www.bozemanbedandbreakfast.com [6], $139–189) is owned by former Yellowstone National Park rangers, who are full of good travel hints. The house, a fanciful antique-filled Victorian with a huge hot tub on the back deck, is joined by an old farmhouse with several more guest rooms.

East of town off I-90, Howler’s Inn (3815 Jackson Creek Rd., 406/586-0304 or 888/469-5377, www.howlersinn.com [7], $115–195) is a little different from your average B&B—it’s also a wolf sanctuary. Income from the B&B supports wolves who can’t be released into the wild; they live in a three-acre fenced enclosure. The rooms are comfortable, with views of mountains and wolves, and guests may use the hot tub and sauna.

Silver Forest Inn (15325 Bridger Canyon Rd., 406/586-1882 or 877/394-9357, www.silverforestinn.com [8], $80–140) is a good base for Bridger Bowl [9] skiers. The 1932 log home has been renovated as a six-room B&B; the turret room has incredible views of the Bridger Mountains. Some rooms share baths.

One of Bozeman’s nicest conventional motels is the Best Western GranTree Inn (1325 N. 7th Ave., 406/587-5261 or 800/624-5865, $108 and up). It’s a ways from downtown, but an indoor pool, hot tub, laundry room, restaurant and lounge, and an airport shuttle are all available.

One other chain motel out near the I-90 interchange that’s surprisingly pleasant is the Holiday Inn (5 Baxter Ln., 406/587-4561 or 800/366-5101, www.hibozeman.com [10], $115 and up). Services and amenities are quite good and include an indoor pool, hot tub, exercise and game rooms, restaurant and lounge, room service, laundry room, massage therapist, and free airport shuttle; kids stay—and eat—free, and pets are welcome too.

Even though it’s 15 miles from town in the Highway 191 hamlet of Gallatin Gateway, travelers to Bozeman shouldn’t overlook the historic Gallatin Gateway Inn (406/763-4672 or 800/676-3522, www.gallatingatewayinn.com [11], $149 and up). The old railroad hotel has been extensively renovated but not substantially altered from the original. Huge arched windows and ocher walls give the lobby an airy Mediterranean feel, and the rooms, which range from smallish in the hotel proper to spacious suites in buildings behind the main lodge, are graceful and comfortable. There’s an outdoor pool and hot tub, a casting pond, tennis courts, and places to hike or mountain bike just out the back door.

About 10 miles west of town, the Gallatin River Lodge (9105 Thorpe Rd., 406/388-0148 or 888/387-0148, www.grlodge.com [12], $270) is located on a large ranch in the Gallatin Valley. All six suites have elegant oak Mission-style furniture. Each has a private bath containing a large whirlpool tub and shower. Packages are available with or without guide service; a three-night stay with guide service runs $1,575 per person, double occupancy. Without the guide, it’s $1,175 per person.