Montana


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Montana is a state of the United States of America.

Western Montana is full of beautiful forests and even when you are stuck waiting, the scenery makes it OK.

Hardly any highways in Montana are off-limits for pedestrians, including Interstates. However, the speed limit is quite high, so a highly visible spot is essential.

Law
61-8-507. Pedestrian soliciting rides, business, or contributions. (1) A person may not stand on a roadway for the purpose of soliciting a ride.

Montana does not define roadway but says: Interpretation of this chapter in this state must be as consistent as possible with the interpretation of similar laws in other states. Therefor the definition of roadway can be assumed to allow hitchhiking from the shoulder of the road. As with most states, if you are hitching from the shoulder or berm of the highway, you are not committing a crime.

Additionally, in Montana it's normal for travellers - be it by bike or on foot - to use the Interstate shoulder. There's no reason why a hitchhiker shouldn't do the same; there's much less police around than in other states and they really don't care about hitchhikers on the Interstate at all. If you piss them off, however, they might be able to give you trouble for being on the Interstate, so maybe don't flip them off when they drive by you.

Federal Districts
Note:All land regulated by the National Park service prohibits hitchhiking under the Code of Federal Regulations Title 36 section 4.31: Hitchhiking or soliciting transportation is prohibited except in designated areas and under conditions established by the superintendent.

Hitchhiking or soliciting transportation shall be permitted within Yellowstone National Park except: ,withing two tenths of a mile of an entrance station. ,within 200 feet of a school, concession business or park service office building or visitor center. ,in a residential area where signs exist establishing the area as residential areas only and discouraging public traffic. ,while holding or having a sign which is larger than two feet by two feet in size. ,the hitchhiker must stay off the paved surface of the roadway, though a hitchhiker may stand on pavement if clearly in a paved pullout. ,where vehicles may not safely pull off of the main traffic lane ,during the hours of darkness unless the hitchhiker is wearing bright clothing. ,while under the influence of alcohol or intoxicating drugs. ,when hitchhiking behavior is deemed unsafe or a nuisance by Park Staff.
 * Yellowstone National Park

Hitchhiking is permitted except within one half mile of entrance stations, providing that there is sufficient space for vehicles to pull completely out of traffic lanes, and that public safety is not otherwise compromised.
 * Glacier National Park

Cities

 * Billings
 * Bozeman
 * Butte
 * Great Falls
 * Havre
 * Helena
 * Kalispell
 * Miles City
 * Missoula

Winter
Winter in Montana can become frigidly cold. Care should be taken to dress warmly and to avoid getting stuck out in the cold.

Experiences
People in Montana are insanely nice and helpful! We never waited more than half an hour for a ride, usually much less than that. We had people take us out to dinner, pay for our KOA campsite, call their friends to see if anybody was going even further in our direction, etc. It was fantastic. Being able to walk on the freeways was also fantastic. Looking clean-cut and "normal" is a huge plus but I think that's true in every state. I don't know that you would have as much luck if you look like a "hippy", "punk" or "drifter". We look really clean-cut, are a male/female couple, have no pets and obviously have TONS of camping gear on our backs. So take that into consideration, but really I can't say enough good things about hitching in Montana and Wyoming. On the interstate, especially. -Dizzy

"Montana is definitely my favorite state, and wonderful to hitch through. The people are always friendly and kind. Many Native Americans have picked me up and let me stay with them, and the reservations are great for hitchhiking, since so many Natives do it through there. The scenery is nothing short of gorgeous, and the further west you go, the better it gets. One ride took me from just on the Montana side of Williston, ND, all the way to Great Falls. I never had to wait long for a ride, especially if it was early in the day. Although, on the West side of I-90, you will encounter many small towns strung together after Missoula, and getting a ride can be somewhat tricky through there. Highway 2 is great for hitching (the farthest west I've gone on 2 was Cut Bank), and a good number of Canadians are near the border. The stereotype of friendly Canadians is completely true. I definitely recommend checking out Missoula and walking around there if you have the chance. Very friendly and artistic city, lots to see and do." -Ned

''I have been through Montana many times on most major highways and would rank it about the national average for catching rides. Because there is such a short summer for construction, you may often have to re-plan your long distance route up to hundreds of miles due to construction and detours when hitching in the warm months.''Thewindandrain 18:11, 18 September 2012 (CEST)

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