Southwest Montana Blog
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I have friends scattered across the US and even a few making their homes in other countries. With the pandemic, our world has been thrown upside down. We are learning how to work remotely, how to function with increased isolation, and even how to maintain community amidst isolation. In Montana … we are...

It’s impossible, in a blog post, to even brush the surface of all that a summer in Southwest Montana has to offer. Even this year, when so many events have been cancelled, Montanans are spoiled for choice. Would it be possible to hike all the trails, fish all the streams, float all the rivers of …...

Thanksgiving is not about the food. It should be about thankfulness, and family, and friendship. But it is about those things in the context of a feast. A joyful celebration culminating in sitting around a table, and eating food together. It doesn’t have to be lavish or excessive. It can be–if you...

It’s September, and it was an especially dry summer. That means that in the west, there is only one appropriate topic of conversation. Wildfires. They’re kind of hard to miss. Northwestern Montana has some of the worst fires, but Southwest Montana has its fair share. At the moment, there are about...

Until a time machine is invented somewhere other than a Hollywood studio, history will be relegated to memories of the dead and books of the living. There are, however, places where the past lurks just beneath the surface of real time. The Southwest Montana sibling ghost towns of Virginia City and Nevada City...

The amount of history and beauty captured within Southwest Montana’s 10 state parks establish them as bucket list items for any Montana trip. Away from the crowds of Glacier and Yellowstone national parks, Southwest Montana’s state parks include an immense variety of terrain and historical storytelling for...

A world of rivers, mountains, wildlife and history is waiting to be experienced just outside Yellowstone and Glacier national parks. When planning a trip to Montana, make sure to add some time to enjoy Southwest Montana — the vast region right on the path between the national parks, the region that was...

Montana’s historic landscape has been colored by a myriad of cultural influences.For instance, as the first settlers in the area, the Native American people have contributed immensely to Montana’s history and laid the foundation for today’s society. With the Homestead Act of 1862, Agriculture became the...

With summer quickly drawing to a close, it is time to decide on that final excursion. The kids are headed back to school and the weather – knowing Montana – is about to change drastically. Living in Montana, our summers are filled with camping, hiking, fishing, boating, and road-trips, all surrounded by...

As far as plants go, camas is rather famous in Montana, despite the fact that it is not very widespread. http://fieldguide.mt.gov/RangeMaps/RecencyMap_PMLIL0E040_FS.jpg Bread made from camas root was essential in the diets of Western Montana’s Indian tribes, and saved the Lewis and Clark Expedition from...

As Montana is home to some of the most famous mammals in North America, it can be easy to overlook the birds. But that would be a mistake, because Montana has safari-level birdwatching opportunities, and for some reason, the really amazing birds (eagles, vultures, swans, cranes, etc.) are way easier to find...

Spend five minutes in Montana (or even on this site) and you’ll figure out that rocks are crazy important. The rocks of Montana have shaped the last two centuries of the state’s history. The gold rushes in Bannack, Alder Gulch, and Helena were some of the most important episodes in Montana history. The copper...