Highlights
Dinosaurs
In 1978, the world’s first site of dinosaur embryos was discovered along the Rocky Mountain Front, south of Choteau, at what came to be known as Egg Mountain. The site yielded the largest cache of dinosaur eggs, embryos and baby skeletons found in the western hemisphere and provided more information about dinosaur biology than any other site in the world. Palaeontologists later identified the baby bones as belonging to a new species of duck-billed dinosaur they named Maiasaura Peeblesorum, meaning ‘Good Mother Reptile’. Discover more of Montana's paleontological treasures on the Montana Dinosaur Trail, providing opportunities to see unique specimens and learn how to dig for fossils.
Logan Pass
Strikingly beautiful, Logan Pass, Reynolds Mountain and Clements Mountain all tower high above fields of vibrant wildflowers that carpet the ground throughout the summer months. Logan Pass is the highest elevation (2,025m/6646ft), reachable by car in the park, and is a hugely popular attraction in the summer. Discover beautiful Alpine plants that are adapted to the harsh conditions, along with amazing wildlife (if you get there early enough!), including mountain goats, Bighorn Sheep and the occasional Grizzly Bear ambling through the luscious meadows, then explore one of the two popular hiking trails – the Hidden Lake trail or the Highline trail – perfect opportunities to explore the park further.
Yellowstone National Park
Montana is home to the world’s first national park, Yellowstone, which sets the standard for national park criteria; it’s a place where the crisp air fills your lungs and cleanses the soul, where sulphur encased hot springs and thermal pools along with fire holes and steaming geysers – Old Faithful the most frequently erupting geyser, puts on a performance about every seventy-eight minutes - make for a misty terrain and out-of-this-world atmosphere, that is both beautiful and bewitching.
The First Nations
Known to the Indian Nations as ‘the first best place’ Montana is filled with the histories, religions, and philosophies of its Indian people and today there are some twelve tribal nations governing seven reservations living here, their rich heritage very much a part of Montana’s distinctive character. America’s most famous battle the Battle of the Little Bighorn (or Custer’s Last Stand) was fought in Montana in 1876 and the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, situated on the Crow Indian Reservation, memorialises the North Plains warriors and the men of the Seventh Cavalry who took part in the conflict.
Sapphire Mining
Although sapphires have been found in several locations in the United States the most famous of these locations is – Montana. A byproduct of the gold rushes, it was only when Tiffany purchased a number of the cornflower blue stones, dispatched in a cigar box by Yogo Gulch miner Jake Hoover, and declared them to be of ‘unusual quality’ that their true value was realised. A British company controlled the mine for many years, which is why the Yogo Sapphire can be found amongst the Crown Jewels.