Outdoor Recreation

  • Distinctly Montana's 5 Favorite State Parks

    By Lacey Middlestead
    Thanks to the creation of the Montana State Parks system in 1939, residents and visitors alike have been able to hike up, swim through, camp within, and just bask in the grandeur that is Montana for 81 years now. Today, there are 55 state parks, each worthy of admiration and exploration. Here is a snapshot of five of them. 
  • Montana's Historic Hot Springs

    By Charlie Dennison
    These were some challenging times for travel in Montana, but in the 1930s, when Lolo National Forest West was established, a dirt track was constructed to the resort from Highway 200. Better days were ahead for Martin Quinn's favorite destination, and —through it all—the location stayed in the family name.
  • Yurt Skiing the Swan Range

    By Aaron Theisen
    Forming the westernmost buttress of the broad swatch of peaks that comprises the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, the Swans lie within an hour’s drive of Missoula but well off the beaten path of the skiing masses.
  • These Are the Good Old Days: A Brief History of Fly Fishing

    By Michael Raether
    Gut leaders were made from silkworms by making a small incision just behind the head to reveal the silk glands, then submerging the poor silkworm in a solution of salt and vinegar. The silk was slowly drawn from the silk glands, and as it was extracted the material hardened into threads.
  • A Fisherman's Guide to the Beartooth

    By Sean Jansen
    With each mile gained in elevation, the oxygen deprivation distracts your driving as does the granite splendor you behold at every turn. Even in July the snow stays on the ground at this elevation and skiers, sunny skies, swaying wildflowers, and tourists alike indulge in this rugged high beauty and marvel at the ingenuity of the highway.
  • Don't Let Them Get Your Goat

    By Michael Raether
    A pack goat is more than a beast of burden. For an aging hiker, it’s assistance for complaining knees that just won’t give up the backcountry.
  • Learn How to Fly-fish in One Day

    By Tech. Sgt. Chad Thompson
    When I first arrived at Malmstrom Air Force Base, there was only one thing on my mind—fly-fishing because Montana is known for having some of the best fly-fishing in the world.
  • Beautiful Montana Roads for All Seasons

    By Todd Klassy, Photos by the Author
    These are some of my most favorite drives in Montana, regardless of the season. But I think they can be appreciated even more so in the colder months of the year. So, grab your Thermos of hot cocoa, an extra warm blanket or two, and your best winter tires. Let’s go for a drive.
  • The Crazy Mountains: Montana’s Less-Heralded Alternative to the Tetons

    By Doug Schmittou, with photos by Robert Schmittou
    Encompassing an area roughly 30 by 15 miles in size, the Crazies are Montana’s most impressive island range. With 23 summits that exceed 10,000 feet in elevation, the highest of which is Crazy Peak (11,214 feet), the Crazies also are Montana’s third-highest mountain range.
  • Sail Montana's Great Lakes

    By Stephanie Gandulla
    Sailors across the Big Sky state hoist their sails on Fort Peck Reservoir in the dusty eastern part of the state to the pristine waters of Flathead Lake in the northwest.  And, although there truly are many lakes in Montana on which to set sail, we focused on two of the largest—Flathead Lake and Canyon Ferry Reservoir. Both are deservedly popular among the sailing community.
  • Ice Sailing on the Canyon Ferry Reservoir

    By Emily Harris
    Imagine the adrenaline rush of dashing across the solid surface in one of these ice boats, the freezing wind cutting through that third layer of down, watching the trees whizz by at lightning speeds
  • Montana’s Annual Autumnal Gold Rush

    By Douglas A. Schmittou
    If Mother Nature then chooses to fully cooperate, visitors to Glacier National Park may conclude that Montana’s annual autumnal gold rush surpasses even New England’s fabled fall color, given the grandeur of Glacier’s mountains and the stark contrast between color values that characterize fall foliage in the northern Rockies.
  • Seeking Solitude Along the Continental Divide Trail

    By Hallie Zolynski
    I spent time recently on a couple of sections of the CDT, finding out what makes this trail unique and why thru-hikers say this trail is by far one of the hardest to hike out of any of the long-distance trails in the U.S.
  • Indian Summer - Montana Style

    By Doug Stevens
    Take crisp, cool mornings and sunny, warm days – mix in a little early snow high in the mountains and add some beautiful fall foliage, elk bugling during their rut in the High Country, and you have a recipe for what many believe are the very finest days of the year to get out and enjoy what Montana has to offer.
  • After the Burns: Hunting for Mushrooms

    By Larry Evans
    Since 1991, the Western Montana Mycological Association has offered workshops and forays focused on mushrooms— not all of them as exciting as this one—every spring and fall season. These forays are always campouts, and attract dozens of dedicated mushroom hunters from all over the state.
  • Bouldering Montana: Five Spring Bouldering Spots

    By Maria Anderson
    There’s nothing like hauling your body up a slab of million-year-old gneiss to get your blood pumping. Come spring, the friction tends to be good and it’s sometimes even warm enough to climb in shirtsleeves. Bouldering is a stellar way to spend time outside with friends, explore the outer realms of your comfort zone, and build strength.
  • It Takes a Village: The Conservation of the Blackfoot

    By Hallie Zolynski
    I parked along a stretch of dirt road where I could see the valley and the mountains between the trees, turned off the truck, and stepped out to silence and crisp spring air. There was something here I could not put into words, something that felt wild and uninhibited.