Montana

[karstic]

In August we will be headed to Montana w/ our 23' motorhome and Jeep Cherokee in tow. We want to spend a few days around Glacier NP but then head down to the SW portion of the state and do some geocaching/hiking/4wd exploring/fishing. We interested in seeing ghost towns, mining camps, scenic 4wd routes, interesting geologic and historic locations. We want to get off the beaten path. We'd like to stay at one or two spots for 4 or 5 days at a time and go out exploring with the Jeep.

Can anyone offer up any good websites or guidebooks for trip planning?

Thanks.

[OverlandZJ]

I was out that way in Sept, check out Virginia City and Bannack SP's ghost towns. I have some pics here. Also some good recommendations from others.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=922609

I did not make it as far north as Glacier, but everyone suggested the "Going to the Sun" road.

Get yourself a Montana gazateer. There was another guide book recommended to me that i couldnt find available... i'll try to dig up the name and author.

[karstic]

Thanks John

So it looks like you spent quite a bit of time in Gallatin and Beaverhead NF's

Bannack looks a lot like Bodie here in California.

[WaXJ_Skier]

http://ghosttowns.com/ they have ghost towns by state/county started planing a ghost town trip for the summer

[philip_g]

Originally Posted by John B

I was out that way in Sept, check out Virginia City and Bannack SP's ghost towns. I have some pics here. Also some good recommendations from others.

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=922609

I did not make it as far north as Glacier, but everyone suggested the "Going to the Sun" road.

Get yourself a Montana gazateer. There was another guide book recommended to me that i couldnt find available... i'll try to dig up the name and author.

the whole tobacco root range down around there and over to ennis is beautiful. there used to be some great jeep in fishing 15 years ago, but I'm sure by now they've made it into a regular paved highway all the way there

glacier is great, better than yellowstone.
lots of camping around flathead lake and used to be decent fishing.

[OverlandZJ]

Originally Posted by karstic

Thanks John

So it looks like you spent quite a bit of time in Gallatin and Beaverhead NF's

Bannack looks a lot like Bodie here in California.

Yes, i did and loved it. Next time i'm in the area i will camp, instead of having the same "base" for close to week at a time. I'm not used to having reservations and not being able to move on if i felt the urge.

The cabins were nice though considering the weather we hit and the size of our party.

I came away slightly disapointed with Yellowstone, beautiful but too touristy for me. I would have liked Glacier.

If i knew then what i know now... I would opt for a trip targeting Glacier and up into Bannf/Jasper. Then concentrate on Yellowstone and the surrounding areas on a return trip to Montana.

[karstic]

I've been to Yellowstone, twiwe. Once in summer, once in winter. That's why we're going to Glacier (never been there) but only spending a few days there, no off-roading, can't have the dog off-leash.

[OverlandZJ]

Forgot to mention. Bannack has the record for most hangings in a single day... 7. The gallows are still up and visable from Town. The jailhouse has a gooood view as well.

What areas in particular do you plan to visit?

[MT Mike]

karstic,
Sorry it took so long to get back to you. Glacier is a great place to visit. August will most likely be a good time, especially if you wait until the latter part of the month (most of the kids are back in school by then), but can also be a bad month if it's an active fire season.

I would definitely drive the Going to the Sun Road, as it is very impressive and scenic. After you've done that, if you're looking to avoid the major crowds, head over to Many Glacier. There is some awesome hiking to be had over there. My favorite is the Ptarmigan Tunnel Trail. Another great trail is Ptarmigan Falls (which is half as long as the tunnel trail). Here is a link to Many Glacier:
http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/maps/trails_mg.htm

Another great out of the way (read: less crowded, if at all) is on the west edge of Glacier: Polebridge. Plenty of easy hikes to be had. Link:
http://www.travelmt.com/mt-cities-Polebridge.html

A great little town which is a little too touristy and rich but still cool to visit is Whitefish. If you go, I highly recommend dinner at Truby's wood fired pizza, along with your choice of a local microbrew. Link to Whitefish:
http://www.whitefishmt.com/index.asp

How long are you planning to stay in the Glacier area? Where else are you looking to go? Let me know and I'll be glad to give you some insight.

Mike

[karstic]

We're only planning on about 4 nights in the Glacier area.

I picked up a Gazetteer this weekend and noticed that there are a ton of roads in the NF west of Glacier, whereas there are relatively fewer in the Beaverhead NF.

Do you know of any loop type 4wd/forest road tours. Nothing real technical just something to get out and explore the area?

[MT Mike]

Originally Posted by karstic

Do you know of any loop type 4wd/forest road tours. Nothing real technical just something to get out and explore the area?

There are a couple nearby that I know of. One near Libby, MT. The Scenic ByWay-Lake Koocanusais pretty cool. Link:
http://www.libbymt.com/areaattractions/#byway

Another very cool series of forest service roads can be found at the Hungry Horse Reservoir, about 10 miles west of West Glacier. Hungry Horse Dam is over 500' tall, and there are forest service roads that go all the way around. Make sure to grab a huckleberry milkshake (the real deal, not some crappy syrupy imitation) in town before you head up. The link has a decent map that you can zoom in and pan around. Link:
http://findlakes.com/hungry_horse_reservoir_montana_vacation.htm

I know that there are a bunch more of forest service roads west of Glacier, but these are the main two that I've been to. If I had to pick one over the other, I'd go with Hungry Horse. If I remember correctly, there are a few RV capable campgrounds nearby, and Hungry Horse is close enough to Glacier Nat'l Park, that you could use that as a base camp the 3 or 4 days your there, which should save you some coin.

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

I went to Glacier with a church group once...mistake! The best part of the trip in my opinion was taking a raft trip along the middle fork of the Flathead river ending in West Glacier. VERY nice. We also hiked to Iceberg Lake and Ptarmigan tunnel. That was TOUGH for a flatlander like me!!! Bring lots of water! I thought I was going to die by the time I got to the drinking fountain at the bottom. Jeff