We spent four lovely nights in Livingston, MT in August 2022. This region is definitely called Paradise Valley for a reason! The city of around 8,000 people is considered “The Original Gateway to Yellowstone” and relies on Yellowstone tourism as one of its major sources of revenue. The region was devastated by flooding in the spring of 2022 which closed the northern entrance to Yellowstone, and cut off this major source of funding. We visited because we were attending a benefit concert given by John Mayer.
Scenic Beauty: 9/10
This valley truly is paradise, with stunning views of mountains on all sides. The Yellowstone River flows through the heart of the city and you can watch the sunset and stars come out. We felt at peace in our time in this region and loved how close we were to nature’s beauty.
Weather/Climate: 3/10
Summer is mild and temperatures rarely get about 90℉. Winter is another story, with average temperatures for the months of December-February in the teens. Plus 7 snowy days in April? That’s too much winter for us!
Arts and Culture: 5/10
John Mayer calls Livingston home when he’s not touring, so there’s got to be a good local music scene here. We enjoyed live music and discovered there is a strong local music scene in the area. However, Livingston loses points for being more than an 8 hour drive to The Gorge Amphitheater and over 6 hours to any Broadway tour stop.
Food: 5/10
There were plenty of good dining options to choose from, and Bozeman, MT is only a 30 minute drive. We could easily purchase grass fed beef from one of the many nearby ranchers and the farmer’s market runs June through September.
Alignment with our values: 5/10
Montana is not a very diverse state, it just isn’t. We did mostly feel very welcomed by locals and can see why a number of big name celebrities have chosen to call the area their home.
Livingston, MT Grand Total: 27/50
Though the brutal winters and distance from any major musician’s tour stop make Livingston an unlikely choice for Team Tiegs to settle, we would come back here to vacation or return as nomads to stay longer than 4 days. If you’ve never been to Paradise Valley, put it on your list.
Clockwise from top left: sunset on the Yellowstone River, breakfast burrito and live music at Pine Creek Lodge, drinks and soaking at Chico Hot Springs, local libations, sunset at Pine Creek lodge, Pine Creek Falls trail,
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