Montana’s Road Trip Ranking Doesn’t Make Much Sense

Montana Ranks Surprisingly Low For Summer Road Trips

I come across a lot of articles about Montana, but every once in a while I find one that leaves me scratching my head.

This is one of those times.

The Factors Behind Montana's Low Road Trip Ranking

WalletHub recently released its list of the best states for summer road trips in 2026, and somehow Montana ended up all the way down at No. 42. I'm sorry, what?

How can Montana rank that low when we've got thousands of miles of highway cutting through some of the most beautiful scenery anywhere in the country?

Not to mention roads like the Beartooth Highway and Going-to-the-Sun Road regularly show up on lists of the best drives in America and even the world.

So what exactly knocked Montana so far down the rankings?

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Montana Falls Behind In Cost, Safety, and Attractions

WalletHub looked at several different factors, but the three biggest were cost, safety, and activities. Montana landed in the bottom half of the country in all three categories, ranking No. 30 for cost and No. 33 for both safety and activities.

When you look at it that way, I can at least understand their reasoning. We don't have as many tourist attractions, theme parks, or roadside stops as some states, and our highways do see their fair share of accidents.

Still, if you're asking me, I'd take a Montana road trip over just about anywhere else.

There are plenty of places with more attractions, but very few can match the views you'll get driving under the Big Sky.