216 Best Sights in Montana, USA

Surprisingly sophisticated given the location, this great little museum is right next door to the Phillips County Historical Museum. The station houses some of Montana's finest fossils and includes a fossil preparation laboratory that visitors can view. Specimens on display include Roberta, a well-preserved Brachylophosaur, and Leonardo, which has been celebrated as the best-preserved dinosaur fossil ever discovered. Both specimens were unearthed near Malta. Other gems include rotating exhibits of fossil collections and a great kids' education program. The station includes a gift shop. Amateur dino hounds can sign up here for a guided dig.

At 8,681 feet, Greathouse Peak is the tallest mountain in the Big Snowies. Vehicles are permitted on Forest Service roads that reach partially to the peak, but the simplest way up is to hike the 6 miles of unmarked trails that zigzag up the slope from Halfmoon Canyon. The main trail, which is only mildly strenuous, doesn't quite make it to the top; to reach the summit, you'll need to hike a few yards off the main path. You'll know you've reached the highest point when you see the two stone cairns. The Judith Ranger Station in Stanford is your best source for Snowies information.

The comical critters at Greycliff Prairie Dog Town State Park pop out of their underground homes, stand upright, sound their chirping alarms, and dash to another hole. Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark referred to these "barking squirrels" in their journals. At this 98-acre protected habitat you can catch the action from your car.

Displays at the H. Earl Clack Memorial Museum include murals, artifacts, dioramas, and military exhibits that explore the lives of Plains Indians and Havre's early settlers and ranchers. The museum arranges tours of Fort Assinniboine and the Wahkpa Chu'gn Archaeological Site, a major buffalo jump.

Any combination of U.S. 12, U.S. 191, U.S. 87, and I–90 will make a quick route to Billings. However, if you have the time, try getting off the main roads. The square of beautiful country between these four highways is the location of Halfbreed Lake National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. The several thousand acres of Halfbreed encompass a seasonally wet lake and wetlands, creeks, and grassy plains. Wildlife includes grouse, waterfowl, grasslands birds, deer, and antelope. This is a favorite spot for birders.

A tour of Havre Beneath the Streets takes you to a bordello, an opium den, a bakery, and other stops in an underground business center dating from the early days of the frontier—the equivalent of a modern underground mall. The subterranean businesses were mainly built and operated by the town's Asian population, drawn to the area by the Great Northern Railroad and its attendant business opportunities. Reservations for tours are recommended.

Thousands of local historical artifacts are on display in the Headwaters Heritage Museum, including a small anvil and all that is left of a trading post, Fort Three Forks, established in 1810.

Hidden Lake Overlook is an easy, 1½-mile hike from the Logan Pass Visitor Center. Along the way, you'll pass through beautiful alpine meadows known as the Hanging Gardens. Enjoy incredible views of Hidden Lake, Bearhat Mountain, Mt. Cannon, Fusillade Mountain, Gunsight Mountain, and Sperry Glacier. It's common to see mountain goats near the overlook. If you want a challenge, continue hiking all the way down to the edge of the lake—a moderate 5.4-mile round-trip hike. Easy to moderate.

This Queen Anne–style commercial structure, a granite, copper-domed corner building with red polychromed brick, occupies a block in the heart of downtown. On the National Register of Historic Places, it's now home to a bank and several shops.

The old Hillsboro Dude Ranch complex is probably the best known and easiest to reach of the four ranch ruins within the recreation area. There are old log cabins, cellars, chicken coops, and other buildings that belonged to Grosvener W. Barry, one of the area's more colorful characters in the early 20th century. He attempted three gold-mining ventures, all of which failed, before opening a dude ranch here.

In 1902 Frank Crail picked this spot for the headquarters of his 960-acre homestead and cattle ranch. Now the Historic Crail Ranch makes a pleasant picnic spot in the midst of Big Sky's Meadow Village area. Guided tours take place on weekends June through September. To get here, drive west on Big Sky Spur Road, make a right on Little Coyote, go past the chapel, and make a left onto Spotted Elk Road in Meadow Village.

Fort Missoula, at the western edge of town, was established in 1877 at the height of the U.S. Army's conflict with the Nez Perce, led by Chief Joseph. The museum's indoor and outdoor exhibits, including 13 historic structures relocated from nearby sites, depict and explain the early development of Missoula County. The black 25th Infantry of bicycle soldiers arrived in 1888 to test bicycles for military use; near-life-size photos depict the soldiers during an expedition to Yellowstone National Park's Mammoth Terraces. Uniforms and artifacts are also on display. They ultimately rode one-speed bicycles from Missoula to St. Louis. Guided tours are available by appointment. Sadly, there is very little material about the Native Americans who lived here before the fort was established.

Housed in a renovated, turn-of-the-20th-century Carnegie library building, the Hockaday Museum of Art presents contemporary art exhibits focusing on Montana artists and the art and culture of Glacier National Park.

The hike to Holland Falls is about 1½ mile from the lodge. The last bit is a steep climb, but it's well worth it for the view.

Displays at this 17,000-square-foot museum include folk art, crafts, photography, painting, and sculpture, with an emphasis on homegrown Montana artists.

You've found the power center of Montana at the House of Mystery–Montana Vortex, a wacky roadside attraction where the laws of physics don't apply and other mystifying phenomena prevail.

This moderately strenuous, 9-mile, round-trip hike passes the gushing Ptarmigan Falls, then climbs to its namesake, where icebergs bob in the chilly mountain loch. Mountain goats hang out on sheer cliffs above, bighorn sheep graze in the high mountain meadows, and grizzly bears dig for glacier lily bulbs, grubs, and other delicacies. Rangers lead hikes here almost daily in summer, leaving at 8:30 am. Moderate.

The tame, deserted Judith flows more than 60 miles from the Lewis and Clark National Forest through arid plains and sandy mesas before emptying into the Missouri. The scenery is stunning, but the variably low water levels and stifling hot summer sun are not conducive to float trips. This is, however, excellent fossil-hunting ground, and the Judith River Dinosaur Institute sponsors frequent digs here. Most of the land surrounding the river is private, though, so check before you start wandering the banks looking for bones. As always, remember to leave fossils where you find them, and report anything significant to the Dinosaur Institute.

Surrounding a 64-acre reservoir in the Billings Heights area, this park is a popular spot for hiking, swimming, fishing, and nonmotorized boating. Although it's not far from downtown, the park is still wild enough to seem miles away from civilization. The regional on-site headquarters for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is a source of recreational information and museum-quality wildlife displays.

Four down-and-out prospectors designated this spot their "last chance" after they'd followed played-out gold strikes across the West. Their perseverance paid off when they discovered the first of several gold deposits here, which propelled Helena to the ranks of Montana's leading gold producers. Many of the mansions and businesses that resulted from the discovery of gold still stand on this historic route, also known as Main Street.

Out in front of the Historical Society Museum, catch the Last Chance Train Tour for an hour-long tour through historic neighborhoods of miners' mansions on the west side to the site where four miners made their first gold discovery on the gulch. Train tours cost $8 and take place Monday–Saturday at 11, 1, 3, and 5:30 in July and August; at 11, 1, and 3 Memorial Day weekend–June 30; and at 11 and 3 September 1–15. New one- or two-hour Segway tours are also available.

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.

The Lewis and Clark Caverns, Montana's oldest state park, hold some of the most beautiful underground landscapes in the nation. Two-hour tours lead through narrow passages and vaulted chambers past colorful, intriguingly varied limestone formations. The temperature stays in the 50s year-round; jackets and rubber-sole shoes are recommended. Note that the hike to the cavern entrance is mild. A campground sits at the lower end of the park.

Follow the trail that the Corps of Discovery traveled 200 years ago (1803–06) in search of an overland route to the Pacific Ocean and experience their struggles and successes. The center shows what it was like for travelers and Native Americans of the era through films, exhibits, and live programs. Take the self-guided tour, and watch the costumed interpreters conduct demonstrations.

The regional Lewistown Art Center showcases artwork by local talent and hosts community art classes.

The 1902 Livingston Depot Center is situated in the former Northern Pacific depot, which served as the gateway to Yellowstone for the park's first 25 years. In the summer months it's now a museum with displays centered on Western and railroad history.

At an elevation of 2,959 feet, this 186-acre park offers breathtaking views of Kalispell, Flathead Lake, and the Whitefish Mountain Range. Features include a self-guided nature trail, a gift shop and visitor center that has exhibits detailing the local wildlife and ecology, nature interpretive programs, picnic areas and shelters, horse trails, and a horseshoe pit. Be sure to bring your camera.

Within the Madison Buffalo Jump historic site is a cliff where Plains Indians stampeded bison to their deaths for more than 2,000 years, until European guns and horses arrived in the West. An interpretive center explains how the technique enabled Native Americans to gather food and hides. Picnic areas provide a restful break from touring. Be on the lookout for rattlesnakes here, and avoid wandering off the paths.

The Mai Wah Museum contains exhibits on the history of the Chinese and other Asian settlers of Butte. The two historic buildings it occupies were constructed to house Chinese-owned businesses: the Wah Chong Tai Company and the Mai Wah Noodle Parlor.