The State of Montana tells the great story of the American West as the cinema could illustrate. The glorious epics, the money rush, but also the endless expanses, rocks, geysers, and beautiful lakes. Montana is nature’s state par excellence. As proof, Billings, the largest city, has only 104 000 inhabitants. Known for the Yellowstone Park, which also opens this top, Montana also has many exceptional sites.
1. The Yellowstone National Park
This iconic UNESCO World Heritage Park spans three states: Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. A place known for its spectacular geysers but also its seismic instability. And if the park’s most famous sites, such as the Morning Glory Pool, The Grand Prismatic Spring or the famous Mammoth Hot Springs are not found in Montana, it’s possible to discover an equally interesting and exciting part of it. Notably in West Yellowstone, which has everything for tourists. Tourists can stay at Teton Mountain Lodge while they explore the park from Wyoming.
2. Glacier National Park
Covering an area of 4010 km2, this superb park houses, as its name suggests, a dozen glaciers. A real sanctuary for biodiversity in which you can walk more than 700 hiking trails, including reaching the peaks to enjoy incredible views. Glacier National Park is often referred to as one of the most valuable parks on the continent because of its extraordinary richness.
3. Flathead Lake
It is one of the largest natural lakes in the country. Beautiful, it attracts tourists from around the world, who sail on its calm waters or who engage in fishing. We also come to attend Bigfork Whitewater, an annual festival that takes place in the middle of the lake on Wildhorse Island.
4. The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
This famous battle between Lt. Col. Custer’s men and a coalition of Sioux and Cheyenne assembled by Sitting Bull in 1876 is one of the most significant episodes in American history. The latter having repotted the victory against a Custer who died there, like 267 of his soldiers. Today, in the same place, is a memorial. One of the most visited in the country.
5. The Museum of the Rockies
Extension of the Smithsonian, this museum is an absolute must when you love dinosaurs. It is also one of the most popular places in the country to admire eggs, skeletons and hyper-realistic reconstructions of several species. It’s also here that resides this good old Big Mike, an impressive T-Rex. Finally, what’s left of it …
6. The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas
A park with 1000 statues of Buddhas in the middle of Montana? Yes! Located in the Amerindian Reserve, it serves as a center for peace and therefore consists of a thousand white statues, arranged in a circle to represent the wheel of Dharma. The work of many volunteers.
7. Big Sky
At Big Sky in central Montana, it snows a lot. Logically the place has become very popular with skiers, who rush in numbers every year. And since we’re in the United States, expect a lot of infrastructure and other modern facilities to make the experience even more spectacular.
8. Castle Ghost Town
There are plenty of ghost towns in the United States. Especially in Montana, where several villages were created and abandoned in connection with the exploitation of silver mines. In the lot, Castle Ghost Town wins the prize. A city where there were once 14 saloons, 7 brothels, a school, and even a prison. The wild west city in all its splendor, with its cowboys and legend. And here the legend is Calamity Jane, who ran a restaurant there.
9. The Quake Lake
Also called Earthquake Lake, this lake appeared on the surface of the earth in 1959 following a major earthquake. It is found in the Gallatin National Forest near Yellowstone.
10. Ringing Rocks
A pile of rocks that has a strange characteristic of ringing when you hit it with a hard object (a hammer for example). Why? We do not know too much but what we do know is that there are very few places in the world where we can find this kind of rocks. Rocks that make music? That deserves the trip!
