Another beautiful summer day and another “Top” nod for southwest Montana! The Matador Network, an independent travel publisher, put together their faves based on cool towns, close to water, away from crowds, and has hot festivals. Of course, Gallatin County made the cut! (It’s worth a shout-out to Park and Madison counties as well.) Here’s what they had to say about our hometown:

Key Towns/Areas: Bozeman, Big Sky, Three Forks, Gallatin National Forest

Festival: The Sweet Pea Festival brings several days of art shows, outdoor concerts, races, food exhibitions (“Bite of Bozeman”), and more. Chalk artists also decorate the sidewalks leading up to the festival.

This area catches just a small sliver of the border of Yellowstone National Park, meaning beautiful scenery without the crowds. Fly-fish on the Gallatin, Madison, or Missouri Rivers, or take it easy floating down the Yellowstone River through Paradise Valley. Otherwise, locals just enjoy sitting in the shade, looking up, and realizing why they call Montana “Big Sky Country”.

Read the entire list here.