On a visit to Yellowstone National Park, we spent several nights staying in a cabin at the very pleasant Mountainside KOA near West Yellowstone. The campground had a creek, lakes, mountain views, on-site pizza, and was surrounded by Custer Gallatin National Forest. We also checked out the nearby trailhead for the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, which was just a mile from our cabin. In West Yellowstone, we shopped for souvenirs, enjoyed ice cream while walking around town, and had a very nice meal at Bullwinkles Saloon.
Crossing the Continental Divide from Idaho into Montana, we drove north to Butte where we saw the 90-foot 'Our Lady of the Rockies' statue of Mary, sitting atop the mountains that overlook town. Next, we drove to Helena where we spent some time walking the grounds at the Montana State Capitol Building.
The next day we drove north along the Missouri River to First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park near Ulm. This is the largest bison cliff jump site in North America and features a sandstone cliff with up to 18 feet of compacted buffalo remains below. We then drove north through Great Falls, and after a short stop in the railroad town of Shelby, we reached the Canada Border.
We drove north through an early season snowstorm to Butte, then drove west in beautiful weather through the Lolo National Forest towards the Idaho border. Along the way, we stopped for a meal at the world famous 50,000 Silver Dollar gift shop, restaurant, casino, and hotel.
We visited Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area in southern Montana where we hiked the Sullivan's Knob trail, enjoyed the dramatic views of the canyon, and saw several bighorn sheep. We also visited the small town of Savage in eastern Montana where some of our ancestors are buried overlooking the Yellowstone River.
We spent a night in West Yellowstone where we walked through the shops and bought a few souvenirs, ice cream, and fudge. The next day we visited Yellowstone National Park where we drove the Beartooth Highway from Cooke City to Red Lodge. We also visited Pompey's Pillar National Monument near Billings and Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument on the Crow Reservation.
We took a weekend trip to the Butte area where we hiked part of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. We also visited Clarks Lookout State Park in Dillon and toured the Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site in Deer Lodge. Finally, we stopped at the railroad park on the edge of Deer Lodge to see two old Milwaukee Road engines (an electric engine #E-70 and a diesel #36A).
On a summer road trip through Montana, we visited several new locations. First, we drove to Big Hole National Battlefield (which is also a site of the Nez Perce National Historical Park and the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail) and hiked to the Siege Area and the Howitzer Capture Site.
Next, we drove through Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest and Bitterroot National Forest to Darby where we made a stop at the Old West Candy Store. We spent a night in Missoula where we had a nice meal at the Montana Club Steakhouse and Casino.
The next day we drove north to Polson where we experienced an unplanned, unfortunate, and expensive accident. Luckily, we were able to get a tow truck and get the car repaired quickly and were back on our way in about two hours. After Polson, we drove along the shores of Flathead Lake to Kalispell and then north to West Glacier.
In Glacier National Park, we drove the incredibly scenic Going-To-The-Sun Road. Heading east through the park we stopped at Lake McDonald Lodge to walk along the lake, then stopped and hiked the Trail of Cedars Nature Trail. At Logan Pass we hiked to the Hidden Lake overlook where we were incredibly fortunate to come around a corner and find a family of mountain goats.
Leaving Glacier National Park, we drove north to the Chief Mountain Border Crossing where we passed into Canada but returned to Montana briefly on a Waterton Lake boat cruise that stopped at Goat Haunt.
Next, we drove south through the Blackfeet Indian Reservation to Great Falls where we visited Giant Springs State Park, which is also a site on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trial. That evening we continued south along the Missouri River to Helena where we spent a night at the Great Northern Hotel. Our final day in Montana we stopped at the Montana State Capitol then drove to the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park.