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Staying Overnight? Montana’s Best Camp Sites

admin — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

Whether you are in Montana because you love wildlife and the gorgeous beauty of the outdoors, and its rich mountains and lakes, or you just happen to be passing through “Big Sky County,” Montana is a wondrous and enchanting place!

A Few of Montana’s Best Camp Sites are;

Bannack State Park – A historic landmark and home Montana’s best “ghost town,” and of the state’s first gold strike back in 1862. At 5,835 feet, the area is both beautiful and filled with enjoyable activities for the family including, fishing, bicycling, horseshoes, volleyball, wildlife viewing, hiking and many more. The campground’s have 28 sites and one for group picnics as well.

The Aspen Grove Campgrounds – Located in Helena National Forest at 4,800 feet, with close access to a variety fishing and hiking trails. Bring your camera, the sites and wildlife are both colorful and beautiful. They have 20 campsites that are located next to the rugged Blackfoot River. If you have a trailer the maximum size allowed is 20 feet.

Bear Creek Campgrounds – Are a beautifully rugged area with scenic vistas that will amaze you. Situated at an elevation of 6,350 feet in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness Area. Great for horse and family camping. Maximum RV length is 28 feet. This is bear country, so please practice safe habits especially as it applies to food storage. No grilles or tables at the campgrounds.

Boulder Creek Campgrounds – The grounds have 13 campsites. If you love a heavily wooded area, you will fall in love with Boulder Creek and its wildlife and its incredible variety of birds. This campground is located in Pioneer Mountains, and has a per-night-fee. This is a very beautiful campsite with a maximum trailer/RV size of 30 feet.

Planning a Day Hike? The Best Park to Enjoy Your Day.

admin — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

You can’t visit Montana and skip Yellowstone Park. Choose your trail according to your family’s interests and abilities. For young children or grandparents, or family member unaccustomed to hiking, rather than one long hike, plan a short hike, a lunch break, and another short hike or drive depending on energy levels. Don’t forget your camera.

Old Faithful Basin:

You can’t spend a day in Yellowstone without visiting the Old Faithful geyser basin. The 1-1.4 mile trail around Old Faithful makes a nice easy family walk, past many of the park’s geysers. The trailhead is near Old Faithful Lodge, if you want to stop for souvenirs or food.

Waterfalls:

Yellowstone has spectacular waterfalls as well as geysers. The 2.5 mile round trip to the 70-foot Mystic Falls has some steep sections, but is one of the easier waterfall viewing trips. The parking area gives access as well to Morning Glory Pool and Upper Geyser Basin trails. Fairy Falls is a 5-7 mile hike with a graceful 200-foot waterfall and an option of continuing to Imperial Geyser.

Canyon Area:

Avoid the crowds as you explore the hot springs and lakes on the longer and more strenuous trail systems in the Canyon Area.

The Best of Montana State Parks

admin — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

For those who have been to Montana, most people would agree that Yellow Stone National Park, and Glacier National Park, are two of the best out of the eight that the State of Montana has to offer. The scenery is just spectacular, and the wildlife that freely roam both parks are just amazing creatures. Montana is well known not only for its beautiful scenery, and wildlife, but the fishing is just amazing too. Montanan’s really go out of their way to protect the wildlife and do what they can in hopes that it will be around for many generations to come so that our children and grandchildren and hopefully even our great grandchildren will be able to experience this amazing opportunity for themselves. Some people think that it is a fun, once in a lifetime experience to be up close and personal with the wildlife at Montana’s National Parks, although it is a once in a lifetime experience, the state of Montana asks that you keep your distance and clean up after yourselves before leaving the parks. The animals in Montana’s National Parks, are all wild and the State of Montana really hopes to keep them that way so that they will be around for a long time so that we can watch these amazing creatures from the comfort of our vehicles and not put any human’s or animals in danger.

The Wolves of Montana; Protecting them from Ranchers

admin — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 00:00:00 +0000

The Wolves of Montana; protecting them from ranchers is now going to be nearly impossible. Livestock production in Montana has looked for ways to stop the wolf population there from attacking their animals. Until recently wolves have been protected by local laws, because wolves were hunted into near extinction by farmers in the earlier part of the 20th century.

Now the entire population of gray wolves may get killed off under the newest Montana wildlife legislation and directives put into action by the state governor. Gov. Brian Schweitzer has given orders that authorize killing off wolves in large numbers and to end investigations of ranchers who shoot wolves themselves.Never heard of this before? Get up to speed here. This is an almost guaranteed death sentence for the Montana wolf population.

Wolves are responsible for attacking local livestock and the elk population of Montana. This has been an issue for over a century, but until now has been handled as an issue of environmental impact in Montana.

Local communities are encouraging people to rally and write the Montana government and doing anything to help the wolves of Montana. Protecting them from ranchers is unlikely to be possible at this point, but any public response can have effects on the situation.