Montana — One Landscape for People and Wildlife
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2020 TRAVEL GUIDE REDISCOVERMT.COM YOUR LOCAL GUIDE FOR THINGS TO DO IN MONTANA LEE NEWSPAPERS OF MONTANA Montana — One Landscape for People and Wildlife License plate image: “The Great Bear” by Monte Dolack. More at www.dolack.com. Save vital habitat. Put a bear on your car! ontanans have always prized open space. It allows both people and wildlife to thrive Mhere. Nothing embodies wild Montana like our state animal, the grizzly bear. Vital Ground protects key habitat, connecting wild strongholds so grizzlies, other wildlife and people have room to roam. You can help Montana’s one landscape stay open and wild for future generations! Support Montana’s wildlife and open space. Select a Vital Ground specialty license plate when you renew your vehicle registration. The Vital Ground Foundation • 20 Fort Missoula Rd., Missoula, MT 59804 • [email protected] • www.vitalground.org • 406-549-8650 REDISCOVER MONTANA N EW S National forest Wilderness area and/or national wildlife refuge National park Indian reservation Glacier Missouri Glacier Missouri Country Central River Country Central River Country Country Country Country Southwest Southwest Country Southeast Country Southeast Yellowstone Country Yellowstone Country Country Country CONTENTS GLACIER 3 COUNTRY REDISCOVER MONTANA RM S PRING/SUMMER 2015 YELLOWSTONE 8 COUNTRY SOUTHWEST 19 COUNTRY SOUTHEAST COUNTRY Lee Newspapers of Montana 26 rediscovermt.com CENTRAL 38 COUNTRY MISSOURI RIVER 45 COUNTRY SPRING/SUMMER 2020 REDISCOVER MONTANA 1 ABOUT THIS SECTION Rediscover Montana is a publication of Lee NewspapersABOUT of Montana THIS — SECTION ABOUTThe Billings THIS Gazette, SECTION Missoulian, Rediscover Montana is a publication Montana Standard, Helena Independent of Lee Newspapers of Montana — RediscoverRecord MontanaABOUT and Ravalli is THIS a publication Republic. SECTION of Lee Newspapers ofThe Montana Billings —Gazette, Missoulian, The Billingsrediscovermt.comRediscover Gazette,Montana Montana Missoulian, Standard, ©2016 is a publication Helena Independent of Lee Newspapers of Montana — FROM THE GOVERNOR Montana Standard,The Billings Helena RecordGazette, Independent and Missoulian, Ravalli Republic. RecordMontana and Ravalli Standard, Republic.rediscovermt.com Helena Independent ©2018 rediscovermt.comCONTRIBUTORSRecord and ©2016 Ravalli Republic. FROMFROM THE THE GOVERNOR GOVERNOR rediscovermt.com ©2016 FROM THE GOVERNOR Chelsea Davis CONTRIBUTORSCONTRIBUTORSCONTRIBUTORS WELCOME TO MONTANA Vince Devlin WELCOME TO MONTANA Chelsea DavisChelsea Charity Davis Dewing Mike Ferguson Growing Growing up in Montana, up in I Montana, never took I never took WELCOMEWELCOME TOTO forMONTANAMONTANA grantedfor the granted spectacular the spectacular wide open wide open Vince DevlinVinceBrett Devlin French spaces thatspaces make that our state make one our of the state one of the Brett MikeFrench Ferguson Growinglast Growing trulylast up unspoiled up in truly Montana,in Montana, unspoiledplaces I never on I Earth. never took places took on Earth. Mike FergusonPerry Backus for granted the spectacular wide open spacesfor grantedMontana that make Montanathe is stillour spectacular statea place is one still where of wide athe place you open can where you can spaces that make our state one of the Mike KordenbrockBrettAnna French Paige lastwalk truly for unspoiledwalk miles forand places milessee more on and Earth. elk, see bear, more elk, bear, Brett French lastMontanaand truly troutand unspoiledis than still trout people.a place than places whereOur people. world-class on you Earth. can Our world-class Mike Kordenbrock walkrivers,Montana for miles majesticrivers, isand still seemountains,majestic a more place elk, wheremountains, and bear, rolling you can and rolling Tom KuglinMike Kordenbrock and trout than people. Our world-class Mike Kordenbrock walkplains for are miles where and I hunt, see morefi sh and elk, hike bear, rivers, majesticplains mountains, are where and Irolling hunt, fish and hike Tom Kuglin andwith trout mywith family.than my people. family. Our world-class Pat Hansen plainsrivers, are majestic where I hunt, mountains, fish and andhike rolling TomMarga Kuglin Lincoln with myWe family. hopeWe your hope travels your will travels give you will the give you the Marga Lincoln plains are where I hunt, fish and hike Wesame hope specialsame your memoriestravels special will wememories give have you from the we have from Jesse Chaney with my family. samegrowing specialgrowing up memories here. On up webehalf here. have of fromOn the behalfpeople of the peo- MargaPaula Lincoln McGarveyPaula McGarvey growingWe hope up here. your On travels behalf ofwill the give peo- you the Rob Chaney plesameof of Montana, Montana, specialple of we memorieswe Montana, invite invite youyou we toto we have joinjoin invite usus from you to join us Paula McGarveyJaci WebbJaci Webb ingrowing exploringin exploring upin the exploringhere. the “Last “Last On Best behalf Best the Place.” Place.” “Last of the Best peo- Place.” Amy Joyner ple of Montana, we invite you to join us See you soon,See you soon, JaciLoren Webb BenoitLoren Benoit in exploringSee you soon, the “Last Best Place.” Casey Page Tom Bauer See you soon, Loren Benoit Tom BauerLarry Mayer Thom Bridge TomThom Bauer Bridge Walter Hinick Gov.Gov. Steve Steve Bullock Bullock Thom Bridge Gov. Steve Bullock Walter LarryHinick Mayer Walter Hinick Gov. Steve Bullock Larry MayerCasey Page FROM THE COVER Larry MayerHannah Potes Beautiful view of scenic highway with american rocky mountain landscape in the background during a Casey Page cloudy summer morning. Taken in St. Mary, Montana. Casey PageJames Woodcock Hannah Potes Bob Zellar Hannah Potes 2James REDISCOVER Woodcock MONTANA SPRING/SUMMER 2020 James Woodcock 8 REDISCOVERBob Zellar MONTANA SPRING/SUMMER 2016 Bob Zellar 8 REDISCOVER MONTANA SPRING/SUMMER 2016 8 REDISCOVER MONTANA SPRING/SUMMER 2016 REDISCOVER MONTANA N EW S National forest Wilderness area and/or national wildlife refuge National park Indian reservation Glacier Missouri Glacier Missouri Country Central River Country Central River Country Country Country Country Southwest Southwest Country Southeast Country Southeast Yellowstone Country Yellowstone Country Country Country GLACIER COUNTRY Mountaintop REDISCOVER MONTANA RM Bitterroot National S PRING/SUMMER 2015 Forests lookout towers treasures o er unique experiences By PERRY BACKUS unique opportunity to explore. Some reservation system at www.recreation. [email protected] can be reached over rugged roads by ve- gov Reservations can be made up to six hicle. Others are only a short walk from months in advance. There’s nothing quite like watching a nearby trailhead. To reach the most “For the most part, they are reserved the sunset from on top of a mountain in remote requires stamina and an over- from June to mid-September,” Strayer a room surrounded by glass. night backcountry stay. said. “Most fi ll up right away at the six Lee Newspapers of Montana The silence is broken only by the “People go to all of them,” said Rene month point… Sometimes people do rediscovermt.com sound of the wind against the window- Eustace, who retired in 2016 as the for- cancel and spots come open in the sum- panes as the skies turn red across a hori- est’s lookout coordinator. “Every one mer. If people are interested, it’s a good zon fi lled with purple mountains that o ers a completely di erent experience. idea to check the site frequently.” seem to go on forever. Some you can spend the night. At oth- The hike into both Mccart and Gird It’s an experience that hundreds of ers, you can meet the lookout working Point is relatively short, but those who visitors to the Bitterroot National For- there.” want select Medicine Point need to be est have every year through the forest’s If they’re not in the middle of search- prepared for a 3.5-mile march that heads fi re lookout rental program. But it’s not ing for a new smoke following a thun- right up the hill. the only way that people can tap into the derstorm, the lookouts will often take “It’s a di erent experience,” she said. rich history of the forest’s lookout tow- time for a tour of their summer home “It’s more backcountry than the others. ers that date back to 1915. and answer questions about life at the It is also defi nitely a good workout to get The Bitterroot National Forest has a top of a mountain is like. there.” total of 17 lookout towers that still stand “It’s a pretty unique experience for Visitors are asked to leave their com- watch over huge expanses of public many people,” Eustace said. “I like to ments in a book that’s left at each of the lands. think that besides the trail crew, look- rentals. Each one o ers visitors a outs are one of the last and really old- “It’s always really fun to read their time Forest Service jobs that are done comments,” Strayer said. “The public is basically the same way that they’ve always very appreciative that the look- been done for more than a century.” outs are available to them to rent. It is Of the 17 lookouts that a very unique experience to stay on the remain, three are open to top of a mountain in a fi re lookout.” public as rentals. All three of the lookouts on the rental Bitterroot Forest Rec- program are on the National Register of reation Manager Erica Historic Places. Strayer said the three “Lookouts on the forest go back a long rental lookout towers ways,” Eustace said. “Salmon Moun- — Mccart, Gird Point tain is the oldest that we have docu- and Medicine Point mentation. It was fi rst mentioned in the — can all be reserved through the national Please see Treasures, Page 7 The Mccart Fire Lookout is one of three lookouts on the Bitterroot National Forest available to the public to rent in the summer and fall. PERRY BACKUS/[email protected] SPRING/SUMMER 2020 REDISCOVER MONTANA 3 Where the WILD THINGS Some can’t miss and are: don’t miss options By ROB CHANEY sometimes share space with the [email protected] smaller and cuter pika.