216 Best Sights in Montana, USA

A replica 1930s lookout tower, fire photos, videos, and murals explain wildland fire ecology and behavior, fire-fighting technique, and the nation's history of smoke jumping, which began here in 1942. Today it's the largest smoke-jumper base in the nation. From Memorial Day through Labor Day the center offers five tours daily, given by guides who provide firsthand accounts of jumping into blazing forests.

At the end of a long and often washboarded gravel road, Spotted Bear is a remote entrance into the Bob Marshall Wilderness. You'll find there a ranger station, outfitter's ranch, campground, swimming, and rafting a short distance down the South Fork of the Flathead River to the Hungry Horse Reservoir.

The St. Ignatius Mission—a church, cabin, and collection of other buildings—was built in the 1890s with bricks made of local clay by missionaries and Native Americans. The 61 murals on the walls and ceilings of the church were used to teach Bible stories to the Indians. In the St. Ignatius Mission Museum (an old log cabin) there's an exhibit of early artifacts and arts and crafts. The mission is still a functioning church; Mass is offered every Sunday morning in the rectory. To reach the mission from St. Ignatius, take Main Street south to Mission Drive.

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.

North of Bighorn Canyon is the tiny settlement where Father Prando, a Jesuit missionary, founded the St. Xavier Mission in 1887. This was the first mission to the Crow tribe and, as such, offered the people their first primary school. Although the town is barely inhabited, the church and school are still in use and may be visited. The school, called Pretty Eagle School, provides a free K–8 education for 160 students, 98% of whom are Crow.

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.

Railroad history, local gags like a fur-covered trout, and fine black-and-white photo displays complete this eclectic collection housed track-side at the Amtrak station in the Whitefish Railroad Depot. While browsing in the gift shop, ask for a free historical walking-tour map of "Stumptown," Whitefish's nickname. Call to confirm hours before stopping by.

If you want to check out a cross section of American life, drop by the Whitefish train station at 6 am as a sleepy collection of farmers, cowboys, and skiers awaits the arrival of Amtrak's Empire Builder, en route from Seattle to Chicago. Inside the half-timber depot is the Stumptown Historical Society's Whitefish Museum. The focus here is the Great Northern Railway, the nation's first unsubsidized transcontinental railway that passed through Whitefish. On display are lanterns, old posters, and crockery, as well as reminders of local history, such as the books of author Dorothy M. Johnson and photos of the Whitefish football team from 1922 through 1954, plus some real fun (look for the fur-covered trout). You can pick up a walking-tour map of Whitefish's historic district here.

A stunning waterfall awaits at the end of this well-groomed, 1.3-mile trail along the cliffs and shores of picturesque St. Mary Lake. You can hike one-way and take a boat transfer back. Easy.

This trail system on the northern edge of Billings is a pleasant mix of paved urban paths and rugged dirt tracks, where elderly locals out for a Sunday stroll are just as content as extreme mountain bikers. Several individual trails make up the Rimrock system, which starts at Boothill Cemetery and winds past the airport up into the rocky formations that surround the city and give the trail its name. Expect fantastic views of the open plains and five distinct mountain ranges in some places, and the roar of jet engines and the sight of oil-refinery smokestacks in others.

Truly a unique find on the western edge of the Flathead Indian Reservation, this rustic 1928 hotel has hot mineral pools from continuously flowing springs, spa treatments, massage, and live music on weekends. In the restaurant, steak, seafood, and pasta satisfy hungry soakers. The hotel itself isn't a standout, though the rates are reasonable. Several historic hot springs in the area attracted Native Americans for centuries.

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.

Built in 1905 by architect Cass Gilbert, who also designed the United States Supreme Court Building, the Montana Club was once the tallest building in the state. It's notable for its stone archways and contemporary I-beam construction underneath its classical facade. Founded in 1885, the Montana Club is the oldest continuously operating club between Minneapolis and Seattle. Once private, it's now open to the public for dinner and Sunday brunch.

The eclectic assortment of items dating from 1860 to 1900 at the Thompson-Hickman Memorial Museum includes a petrified wedding cake, the eponymous limb of "Club Foot" George Lane, rifles, and numerous photographs. The collection is made up of the heirlooms of three local families. The local library is upstairs.

The center (formerly The People's Center) allows you to experience the rich cultural heritage of the Salish, Kootenai, and Pend d'Oreille people. The People's Center includes artifacts, photographs, and recordings, runs educational programs, and includes guided interpretive tours, outdoor traditional lodges, and annual festivals. A gift shop sells both traditional and nontraditional work by local artists and craftspeople.

This ½-mile boardwalk loop through an ancient cedar and hemlock forest is a favorite of families with small children and people with disabilities (it's wheelchair accessible). Interpretive signs describe the habitat and natural history. Easy.

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.

A refuge within a refuge, the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge consists of more than 20,000 acres of wilderness entirely within the boundaries of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Its primary mission at the moment is to rescue one of the nation's most endangered animals: the black-footed ferret. The ferrets depend on the high concentration of prairie dog towns for food. There are also plenty of grouse and burrowing owls, who use abandoned prairie-dog tunnels for homes.

In 1805–06 Lewis and Clark explored the upper Missouri River and camped on its banks. Today the stretch designated the Upper Missouri National Wild and Scenic River runs 149 miles downriver from Fort Benton. Highlights include the scenic White Cliffs area, Citadel Rock, Hole in the Wall, Lewis and Clark Camp at Slaughter River, abandoned homesteads, and abundant wildlife. Commercial boat tours, shuttle service, and boat rentals—including rowboats, powerboats, and canoes—are available in Fort Benton and Virgelle. Be aware of seasonal restrictions that prohibit motorized boats and limit campsites on the river.

A pair of 1909 sandstone buildings in the town of Harlowton, 25 miles southwest of the mountains, house the Upper Musselshell Museum. The collection primarily contains artifacts of the people who lived in, worked, and developed the land around the Upper Musselshell River. There are also fossils of bison and dinosaurs (including a full-size reproduction of "Ava," from the recently discovered species Avaceratops) in the two buildings in Harlowtown's small but picturesque commercial district.

Although the holding tanks of a 100-year-old water-treatment plant might not seem like the best location for fine art, the 10,000-square-foot WaterWorks Art Museum is actually very attractive. Overlooking the Yellowstone River, this permanent exhibit reflects the town's Western heritage and features both regional and national exhibits and features. The museum store features a variety of original artworks, reproductions, ceramics, and a good selection of Western history books.

The permanent exhibits here include oral histories, artifacts, and kid-friendly interactive displays tracing the lives of Native Americans, ranchers, homesteaders, immigrants, and railroad workers who lived in the area from 1880 onward. Native American interpretive programs also are offered. The impressive castlelike building that houses the center is almost as interesting as the exhibits.

One of 28 city green spaces, Woodland Park has a playground, ball fields, rose gardens, and a picnic area. Geese, ducks, peacocks, and black swans flutter to the pond, which in winter opens for ice skating; there's a warming hut nearby. Open June–August, Woodland Water Park is an affordable and popular attraction with a pool, waterslides, and the "Lazy River" float.

One of the premier art museums in a four-state region, "YAM" displays Western and contemporary art by nationally and internationally known artists. The permanent collection numbers more than 4,000 works, including pieces by Charles M. Russell and cowboy author and illustrator Will James. (It has the largest collection of art by James in the country.) Beyond the Palette, the attractive museum café, Raven’s Café d’Art, ($), serves lunch Tuesday through Friday.

Once frequented by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and Buffalo Bill Cody, today this log cabin, standing near the exit of Logan Airport, houses a Montana frontier history museum filled with more than 25,000 objects. Check out the chuck wagon, Native American artifacts, wildlife taxidermy, and a Lewis and Clark fur-trading post. A veranda affords unparalleled views of the Bighorn, Pryor, and Beartooth mountains.

The Yellowstone Gateway Museum, on the north side of town in a turn-of-the-20th-century schoolhouse, holds an eclectic collection, including finds from a 10,000-year-old Native American dig site, a flag fragment associated with the Battle of the Little Bighorn, and a Native cultures interpretive exhibit. Outdoor displays include an old caboose, a sheep wagon, a stagecoach, and other pioneer memorabilia.