6 Best Sights in Stevensville, Kalispell, Missoula, and Northwest Montana

Major John Owen established Fort Owen as a trading post in 1850. The property also served as the headquarters of the Flathead Agency until 1860. It's worth a half hour to visit the museum to see the restored barracks, artifacts, and some of the fort's original furnishings.

The Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, on the edge of town, is nearly as pristine as it was before development encroached upon the wilds in this part of the state. Within its 2,800 acres reside 242 species of birds, 41 species of mammals, and 17 species of reptiles and amphibians. Bald eagles, osprey, deer, and muskrats are frequently seen along the preserve's 2 miles of nature trails and in the wildlife-viewing area. Fishing is permitted on the river and in Francois Slough. Archery season for deer and waterfowl hunting occur during their specific seasons in autumn.

St. Mary's Mission, established by Father Pierre DeSmet in 1841, was the first Catholic mission in the Northwest and the site of the first permanent non–Native American settlement in Montana. The site is run by a nonsectarian, nonprofit organization that encourages tour groups, school groups, and individuals to explore the home of Father Anthony Ravalli, an Italian priest recruited to the mission by Father DeSmet in 1845. Ravalli was also Montana's first physician and pharmacist. On the site are a photogenic chapel, a priest's quarters, a pharmacy, Father Ravalli's log house, and the cabin of Chief Victor, a Salish Indian who refused to sign the Hell Gate Treaty and move his people onto the Flathead Reservation. A burial plot has headstones bearing the names of both Native Americans and white settlers.

Historical artifacts in the Stevensville Museum include the belongings of early settlers, particularly the missionaries who came to convert the Native Americans of the West. Other exhibits provide an overview of the area's original cultures (Salish, Nez Perce, and Lemhi Shoshone), background on Lewis and Clark's two visits, and a look at later residents, from orchard farmers to today's cybercommuters.

A refreshing stop for wildlife viewing, this 1,300-acre wildlife conservation property is intended to inspire, educate, and demonstrate conservation in action. Situated along 3 miles of the Bitterroot River, about 8 miles north of Hamilton, the refuge is home to otters, beavers, spotted frogs, and salamanders, as well as pileated woodpeckers, birds of prey, waterfowl, whitetail deer, and many native plants. Although most of the refuge is off-limits to the public (except by appointment), any visitors can take a stroll on the 1.5-mile walking trail along the Bitterroot River. An education center conducts numerous conservation programs for the public. To get here, take Route 269 (Eastside Highway) to Quast Lane and follow the signs.

This park includes a Lewis and Clark camp on a floodplain overlooking Lolo Creek. The explorers stayed here from September 9 to 11, 1805, and again from June 30 to July 3, 1806. Archaeologists in 2002 found evidence of a latrine and a fire hearth, making this one of only a few locations with a physical record of the expedition's camp. Tepee rings suggest that Native Americans used the riverside location, too. Self-guided tours meander through cottonwoods and the historic campsite. Daily interpretive presentations and guided tours run during the summer.