Other Destinations and Attractions in Montana

The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument commemorates the battle between the US Army and several Indian bands. The battlefield includes visitor center, museum, Custer National Cemetery, 7th Cavalry Memorial and Reno-Benteen Battlefield.

Visitors can take a historic tour of Anaconda in a vintage 1936 bus. The bus originally used by the Anaconda Company to transport visitors through the copper smelter.

The St Labre Mission near Ashland was established in 1884 by four Ursuline Sisters. The St Labre Indian Chapel was inspired by the teepee of the Plains Indians. The museum features Plains Indian artifacts and a documentary film on the school.

Medicine Rocks was a place of 'big medicine' where Indian hunting parties conjured up magical spirits. The Medicine Rocks State Park is home to mule deer, antelope, and sharp tailed grouse.

The Beaverhead and Deerlodge National Forest offers a wide range of recreational pursuits that include snowmobiling, cross-country skiing and downhill skiing. Ranges, such as the Anaconda, Gravelly, Madison, Tobacco and Root, are found within the forest boundaries. The forests were combined in 1996 to create a 3.3 million acre scenic and recreation area.

The Big Hole National Battlefield is a memorial to the people who fought and died at this site on August 9 and 10, 1877. The conflict came to be called the Nez Perce War of 1877.

The Questa is a famous Q class racing sloop designed by L Francis Herreshoff in 1929. Two-hour tours of Flathead Lake are available.

The Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area offers scenic views of sheer cliffs towering 1,000 feet above blue water, varieties of wildlife, and abundant recreational opportunities, such as boating, fishing, ice fishing, camping, and hiking. The landscape has been witness to 10,000 years of human history.

The Bitterroot National Forest begins above the foothills of the Bitterroot River Valley. Wildlife in the area includes bear, elk, moose, big horn sheep, mule and whitetail deer and Rocky Mountain goat.

The Museum of the Plains Indian in Browning features murals, dioramas, historical and contemporary native Indian art as well as artifacts.

Timescale Adventures is located in a region of northern Montana that is noted for paleontological discoveries, geological exposures, wildlife habitat, and Native American historical and archaeological sites. Hands-on educational experiences for the public are available.

The Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park features a limestone cavern lined with stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and helictites.

The Liberty County Museum in Chester includes a display of general store, a one-room schoolhouse, Native American artifacts, as well as farm, ranch and railroad equipment.

The Old Trail Museum in Choteau is set in a Western village and details the history of the area beginning with the dinosaur era. Hands-on geology and paleontology field programs are available.

The McCone County Museum in Circle features a blacksmith shop, agricultural tools and equipment, a military display, cowboy paraphernalia, a sheepman's room, a fully equipped sheep wagon, a gun display, Indian artifacts, dinosaur bones, mounted animals, and pioneer exhibits.

Columbia Falls (pop. 3,600) is located in northwestern Montana. The area offers a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities including golf, fly fishing, snowmobiling and camping.

The Big Sky Waterpark in Columbia Falls features a game arcade, miniature golf, a water wars game and several waterslides.

The Museum of the Beartooths in Columbus outlines local history from the 1870's to present. Exhibits include historic washing machines, artifacts relating to the second Crow Agency (1875-1882), vintage home furniture, 1895 Line Drug Company pharmaceuticals, and a tribute to Donald J Ruhl, one of Montana's seven Medal of Honor winners who died at Iwo Jima.

The Yellowstone Wildlife Museum is located at the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. It features more than 100 mounted animals and birds native to the area.

The Custer National Forest is well known for lake and stream fishing, and the habitat it provides for mountain goats, big horn sheep, elk, muley and white-tail deer, black bear, cougar, and moose.

Flathead Lake is the largest freshwater lake west of the Mississippi. It offers many recreational activities including water skiing, fishing, sailing and sightseeing. Wild Horse Island is surrounded by Flathead Lake and provides habitat for sheep, deer, bears, osprey and eagles.

The Flathead National Forest provides scenery of high ridges and mountains and offers recreational opportunities including downhill skiing, river rafting, hiking, camping and fishing.

Old Fort Peck was once located on the west bank of the Missouri River above the present site of Fort Peck Dam. Fort Peck Dam is a hydraulic earth-filled dam which was built between 1933 and 1940 and created Fort Peck Lake. Fishing and camping are available on the lake.

Exhibits at the Fort Peck Museum in the lobby of Power Plant #1 include dinosaur fossils, native American culture and the Lewis & Clark expedition. The Center serves as a memorial to the thousands of people who toiled and suffered to construct Fort Peck Dam between 1933 and 1940.

The Gallatin National Forest is located north of Yellowstone National Park. Mountains found within the forest include the Madison and Gallatin ranges, the Absaroka and Beartooth ranges and the Crazy Mountains.

The Valley County Pioneer Museum in Glasgow features displays that include 19th C American Indian and pioneer artifacts, photographs and agricultural tools.

The Frontier Gateway Museum in Glendive features displays that range from prehistoric times to the 20th C. Exhibits include fossils, buffaloes, American Indians, homesteaders, cattlemen, settlers, railroads, and Civil War displays. Other buildings on the grounds include two country stores, a blacksmith shop, buggy shed, a fire hall, log cabin, and a restored country school.

The Big Horn County Historical Museum in Hardin consists of restored buildings ranging from a railroad depot to a blacksmith shop, church and ranch buildings. Antique farm machinery is also on display.

The Upper Mussellshell Museum features a general store, Indian artifacts, pioneer home, and a 2000-year-old buffalo skull.

The Ninemile Historic Remount Depot shows the functioning of a working Ranger Station. The Visitor Center features information on the firefighters in the Northern Rockies during the early 1900s.

The Central Montana Museum in Lewistown features pioneer relics, blacksmith and cowboy tools, guns, Native American artifacts, collections of minerals and artwork.

The Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge was established as a wild bird refuge in 1935. The Refuge is a stopover for migrating birds, and a breeding ground for waterfowl and shorebirds. Hunting and fishing are permitted.

The Red Rocks Lakes National Wildlife Refuge was established for trumpeter swans in 1935 and it has become an important nesting area. Wildlife observation, hiking, and photography are permitted, except in designated areas.

South of Chinook, near the Canadian frontier, the flight of the Nez Perce Indians, led from Idaho by Chief Joseph, ended in 1877. After a six-day battle with government forces the Indians surrendered - marking the end of Indian resistance in Montana.

The People's Center in Pablo focuses on the history and culture of the Salish, Kootenai and Pend d'Orielle Tribal Nations. Travelers can discover what life was like for these tribes before contact with the white man, during the contact and settlement era, and up to today's lifestyle. Art, photographs and crafts are included in the collection.

The Granite County Museum and Cultural Center is located in the former Courtney Hotel in Philipsburg. The main floor features historical exhibits including photos, clothing, and belongings of past residents of the county. Downstairs is a mural of a mining community with an assay office, a bank with a coin collection found beneath a miner's cabin, and a reconstructed miner's cabin.

The Pompeys Pillar National Monument overlooks the Yellowstone River to the east of Billings. Captain William Clark carved his name in the sandstone in 1806. This is the only physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark expedition through the area. The pillar features American Indian pictographs and names of soldiers, early trappers and settlers.

The Chief Plenty Coups State Park was the home of Plenty Coups, last chief of the Crow. His log home, sacred spring, and farmstead have been preserved. A small museum traces the story of Chief Plenty Coups' life, and his efforts to lead his people in adopting the lifestyle of the white man.

The Beartooth Scenic Highway runs from Red Lodge (pop. 2,200) to the northeast entrance to Yellowstone National Park. American Indians called the original Beartooth Pass the "trail above the eagles." Scenic overlooks have been constructed which allow views of up to 75mi/120km.

The Ninepipe and Pablo National Wildlife Refuges consist of water, marsh, and upland grass areas. The area has become a nesting area for many species including Canada geese, mallards, and redheads, Pintail, American widgeon, shoveler, blue and green-winged teal, ruddy duck, gadwall, common merganser, and coot. Photography, wildlife observation, and picnicking are encouraged on both refuges; fishing is available at certain times.

Exhibits at the Musselshell Valley Historical Museum in Roundup include rock, fossil and mineral displays; a replica coal mine shaft; a telephone operators switchboard; a blacksmith's shop; an original log cabin; wildlife displays and western art.

The Daniels County Museum & Pioneer Town in Scobey features 35 buildings that have been restored to depict a town in the early 1900's. Highlights of the museum are period antiques and vintage vehicles.

The Marias Museum of History and Art in Shelby features displays on early settlers, merchants, ranchers, blacksmiths, telephones, and the armed forces displays.

The Mon-Dak Heritage Center in Sidney features area history and 16-unit street scene of the early 1900s, complete with boardwalks. Exhibits include the St Cyr gun collection, area artifacts and early photos.

The St Mary's Mission was Montana's first permanent white settlement, established in 1841 by Fr. Pierre DeSmet. The interior of the chapel has been restored to its colors of the 1880's. Chief Victor's cabin is a museum that displays American Indian artifacts, original furnishings and other items used by early missionaries.

The Prairie County Museum is housed in the State Bank of Terry building which was built in 1916. Highlights include a dentist's office, barber shop, library and butcher shop. The museum features a photographic exhibit.

The Broadwater County Museum features pioneer artifacts that showcase local history.

The Ulm Pishkun State Park contains a prehistoric bison kill site that consists of a mile-long buffalo jump, or pishkun. Highlights include a stuffed buffalo, implements created with buffalo remains and a teepee covered with buffalo hides.

The Castle Museum in White Sulphur Springs is located in a restored 1892 chateau style house and furnished in period. The museum is entered from the carriage house behind the castle.

The First Presbyterian Church in Whitefish was erected in 1921. The church is noted for the many stained glass windows that serve as memorials and honorariums.

The Town of Wibaux is named for Pierre Wibaux, a Frenchman who came to America to seek his fortune in the cattle industry. The Pierre Wibaux Museum was built in 1892 as a town office building. Displays include items belonging to Pierre Wibaux such as his desk and dishes.

The Wolf Point Museum features displays that include artifacts of the first settlers and homesteaders who arrived in the late 1880s. The homesteading era of 1914 and 1915 are highlighted.

West Yellowstone at the southwestern tip of Montana is the westernmost entrance to Yellowstone National Park that is mostly situated in Wyoming.