Road trip! Uniquely Montana destinations to add to your plans
Historic ghost towns, unique geology, art, museums and much more — Montana has much to offer under its big blue skies, so gas up! You'll want to see it all.
Going-to-the-Sun Road - Glacier National Park
Crews work on clearing Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park.
Up to 80 feet of snow can lie on top of Logan Pass, which is at an elevation of 6,646 feet.
Garnet Ghost Town - Granite County
Garnet is an abandoned gold mining town that dates from the 1890s, and was the residential and commercial center for an area that was extensively mined between 1870 and 1920.
Much of Garnet Ghost Town remains intact.
Ringing Rocks - Whitehall
The rocks in this unique geologic formation chime melodically when tapped lightly with a crescent wrench or mallet.
Ptarmigan Tunnel - Glacier National Park
Built in 1930, the Ptarmigan tunnel connects Many Glacier and the Belly River valley.
The trail to the Ptarmigan tunnel and tunnel entrance are shown in these photos.
Garden of One Thousand Buddhas - Arlee
Ewam Garden of One Thousand Buddhas founder Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche places a sacred cloth next to a Buddha statue. The garden north of Arlee is open to the public, and is one of many connections Montana has to the country of Nepal.
Elkhorn Ghost Town - Jefferson County
Elkhorn was a silver mining town established in 1872. In the winter of 1888–1889, a diphtheria epidemic struck Elkhorn resulting in many deaths. Soon after, railroad service to Elkhorn was halted and only a fraction of the original inhabitants remained.
Fraternity Hall and Gillian Hall were restored by Montana State Parks in 1993 and are open to the public in this historic silver mining ghost town.
Berkeley Pit - Butte
The Berkeley Pit, a former open pit copper mine, was opened in 1955 and operated by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, and later by the Atlantic Richfield Company, until its closure on Earth Day in 1982.
It is now one of the largest Superfund sites in America.
Earthquake Lake - Madison / Gallatin counties
In 1959, an earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter magnitude scale caused an 80-million ton landslide, which formed a landslide dam on the Madison River. The landslide traveled down the south flank of Sheep Mountain, at an estimated 100 miles per hour, killing 28 people who were camping along the shores of Hebgen Lake and downstream along the Madison River.
Medicine Rocks State Park - Carter County
Theodore Roosevelt said Medicine Rocks was "as fantastically beautiful a place as I have ever seen."
Sip 'n Dip Lounge - Great Falls
The Sip 'n Dip Lounge opened in Great Falls in the O'Haire Motor Inn in 1962, and from the decor, you could say the Lounge never left the sixties.
Virginia City - Madison County
Children take in a living museum exhibit at Virginia City, a boom-and-bust town that came into being in 1863 when gold was discovered in the area.
Pompeys Pillar - Yellowstone County
The pillar, a natural rock formation, features an abundance of Native American petroglyphs, as well as the signature of William Clark, co-leader of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. The formation is named for the son of expedition member Sacagawea—who was nicknamed "Pompy."
American Computer & Robotics Museum - Bozeman
The oldest existing museum dedicated to the history of computers in the world, the museum shows the history of computing, communications, artificial intelligence and robotics.
In this photo, Barbara Keremedjiev talks about the a keypad of a guidance computer used on the Apollo space missions.
Bear Gulch Pictographs - Fergus County
There are more than 3,000 individual pictographs on a central Montana ranch site called Bear Gulch, according to its owner Macie Ahlgren.
Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center - West Yellowstone
A grizzly named Kobuk the Destroyer attempts to break into a food storage container during a test at the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center in West Yellowstone.
Granite Peak - Beartooth Mountains
Granite Peak is Montana's highest mountain at 12,807 feet.
Our Lady of the Rockies - Butte
Our Lady of the Rockies is the fourth-tallest statue in the United States after Birth of the New World, The Statue of Liberty, and the Pegasus and Dragon.
The newly completed Our Lady of the Rockies is shown in this file photo.
Makoshika State Park - Glendive
Makoshika State Park is Montana's largest state park. Many fossils have been found here, including a triceratops and a thescelosaurus.
Tourists explore Makoshika State Park in Glendive on Friday, November 11, 2016.
Washoe Theater - Anaconda
Because of its lavish interior, the Washoe is rated as a national treasure by the Smithsonian.
The historic Washoe Theater stands on Main Street in Anaconda.
Pekin Noodle Parlor - Butte
The Pekin Noodle Parlor is the oldest continuously-operating Chinese restaurant in the United States. The building was built in 1909, and the restaurant was launched by the Tam family later in 1911.
The exterior of the Pekin Noodle Parlor stands amid a blue sky in this picture.
Havre Beneath the Streets - Havre
After a fire destroyed much of downtown Havre in 1904, businesses moved into what is now Havre Beneath the Streets in the steam tunnels below until they could rebuild.
Jim's Horn House - Three Forks
Jim Phillips, nicknamed "Antlerman," houses his collection of 16,000 shed antlers in a pole barn on his Three Forks property.
Smith Mine disaster - Bearcreek
On Feb. 27, 1943, an explosion caused by a buildup of methane gas trapped 74 coal miners inside the Smith Mine near Bearcreek. It's believed that as many as 30 of the miners were killed by the explosion itself, while the rest died as a result of suffocation and injuries. Only three miners who reported for work that day escaped with their lives. It was the worst coal mining disaster in Montana history.
Shep Memorial - Fort Benton
Shep the loyal sheepdog's lonely, five-and-a-half year vigil over the train station in Fort Benton is a famous piece of Montana folklore. Shep, who followed a dying owner to the town in 1936 and never left, was adopted by the town and memorialized 50 years after his death with a "heroic-sized bronze sculpture," which sits on Front Street near the Grand Union Hotel.
Buffalo Jump State Park - Three Forks
Buffalo bones still lie buried at the cliff's base, and archaeologists have located the tepee rings of an extensive village at Buffalo Jump State Park, south of Three Forks.
The Cathedral of St. Helena - Helena
Construction began on the Cathedral of St. Helena in 1908, and held its first mass in November 1914.
Roe River - Great Falls
At 201 feet, the Roe River is the shortest river in the world.
Anaconda stack - Anaconda
The Anaconda stack is seen reflected in a pool of water in this file photo.
Helena Firetower - Helena
The Guardian of the Gulch Fire Tower watches over Helena.
Old Trail Museum - Choteau
A model of a Tyrannosaurus rex strolls the sidewalk in downtown Choteau near the Old Trail Museum.
Fort Peck Dam - Fort Peck
The Fort Peck Dam on the Missouri River is located in northeastern Montana.
Stonehouse - Helena
Built in the early 1870s to house miners, the Stonehouse is one of the oldest buildings in Reeder's Alley. Today, it is home to the Montana Preservation Alliance.
Tippet Rise Art Center - Fishtail
A Patrick Dougherty sculpture called “Daydreams” has willows wrapped throughout a rustic school house at the Tippet Rise Art Center in the Beartooth foothills near Fishtail.
Carousel for Missoula - Missoula
The genesis for The Carousel for Missoula began when Missoula cabinet maker Chuck Kaparich visited a carousel in Spokane, Washington. He wanted to purchase the carousel, but was told he should make his own instead, so he did!
World Museum of Mining - Butte
Explore more than 50 structures, ranging from the 100-foot headframe of the Orphan Girl Mine, to a faithful recreation of a mining camp, Hell Roarin’ Gulch. Half the museum’s displays focus on the culture and ethnic history of an 1880s to 1920s mining town, while the other half provides a detailed look at the history of mining technology.
