Hello iSequoia/John,
Your drive to Missoula should be pretty depending on your route. The two-lane roads will offer the most scenic views, but I have seen some spectacular changing of the leaves between Spokane and Missoula via I-90. Your allotted time in Missoula will dictate what you will be able to do. Missoula to Kalispell is two hours and another 1.5 hours to West Glacier. Due to CO-VID – 19, most of Glacier park is closed including most of the Going-to-the-sun road, so check the parks website for the most current open/closed info if Glacier Park is on your list of must-sees.
The National Bison range/Reserve is about an hour north of Missoula on Hwy 93 on the way to Kalispell. The reserve is large with few roads, which are single lane gravel. Seeing/ being in range of photographing bison/buffalo is not a given like it is in Yellowstone.
I did have to chuckle when you mentioned “spend some time shooting large mammals when I get there.” For most of us “Montanans” this time of year your statement means hunting them and not photographing them – sorry for the squirrel moment.
If you want a 90+ percent chance of photographing large mammals, I suggest carving out three days to make the trip to Yellowstone – one to drive there and get settled – one to drive through the Lamar Valley, and one to wander back to Missoula. It will be at least a 4.5/5 hour drive (plan on some road construction) from Missoula to Gardiner. When you make it to Bozeman, you have two choices – south to West Yellowstone/Old Faithful loop or east to Livingston/south to Gardiner/Lamar Valley. There has not been a time that we have been to Yellowstone via the Gardiner/north gate that we have not seen elk. Mid to late September has been our best time to see the bulls posturing and the elk in rut by the north gate and in Mammoth. Hearing them bugle at night is pretty cool, and depending on how close they are – will give you goose bumps. One could spend the rest of that day driving around Gardiner and Mammoth Hot Springs checking things out. You can either camp or stay in a hotel in either location. Keep in mind that this time of year is borderline off-season, so some things might be closing/closed for the season – check websites. FYI – Gardiner in not in the park and Mammoth is in the park. Gardiner is in Montana and Mammoth is in Wyoming – almost all of Yellowstone is in Wyoming.
If you chose to take this route, plan on getting up early and take the north road (Grand Loop Rd) to Tower-Roosevelt. Good place to use the facilities. From there you will take Hwy 212/NE entrance road/Lamar Valley Rd through the Lamar Valley. This is our go-to route if you want to see animals – mostly Bison/Buffalo, Coyotes, Big Horn Sheep (around Soda Butte) and Moose (around Pebble Creek). We have seen the Lamar Wolf pack and two Grizzlies on this route, but they were too far away to get any good photographs – just sat and enjoyed (make sure you have binoculars). Typically, to see wolves, you need to be in the park at their known sighting locations at the crack of dawn, or before. We will typically pack a lunch and eat at the large turn-out at Soda Butte, or push on to Cooke City. The Beartooth Hwy from Cooke City is an awesome drive but will add a day to your trip and put you in Red Lodge, then to Billings or Columbus. Use the facilities at the Museum at the west end of town before reversing the trip back to Gardiner for dinner at the Yellowstone Pizza Co. (the spaghetti with two meatballs is AWESOME). Depending on the time of day, you could camp or head into Livingston or Bozeman for the night and wander back to Missoula the next day. A great two-lane on the way back is from Anaconda to Phillipsburg to Drummond – nice fall colors.
Some things to remember/bring (a possible list for all photographers):
Layer your clothing – Montana this time of year is unpredictable (ok, most of the year) – our garden hose has frozen in July, and we have had snow every month of the year (not in the same year). Possibly some rollup/pouch raingear and a hat and light gloves.
Plan in extra time – especially in the park. A seven mile stretch of road took us over two hours because of a Bison/Buffalo jam (them standing in the road – cannot haze them off), which brings me to the next point.
Use the facilities (restrooms/vaults) when you are see them – you may get stuck in a “jam” or find something to photograph for hours – both have happened many times.
Bring extra snacks and drinks. Most of Yellowstone is over a mile in elevation (dehydration is easy), borderline off-season – places to buy things may be reduced.
A beanbag window tripod. I have a large lens LensCoat filled with unsalted sunflower seeds - -works great. This way if I need to empty it – I can just dump them out. Since you will be driving, a study tripod as well. If you do some “roadside window photography” turn the engine off when you are sitting – the exhaust will create heat aberrations in front of your lens.
Most of all have fun, and record the memories with your daughter!!!
Montana weather is unpredictable most of the year and more so the higher elevation you get.
