Montana – The Second Best Of “The Last Best Place”!

To say that Montana never ceases to amaze us would be an understatement.  So don’t be disappointed by the title of this post (you will understand later why the best is still ahead!). As we continued with part two of our three segment tour of the Treasure State, we set up camp at a quiet little campground in Island Park, Idaho called RedRock RV Park (which is really close to Montana).  We knew this might be a great stay for us when the road took us on a five mile gravel drive past dozens of dispersed campsites, into free range grazing land and around the massive and beautiful Henry Lake.  As we approached the campground, the sign said it all – “Shhh, it’s quiet around here”.

See the dots? Swipe right (mobile) or click the right arrow to scroll through the photo gallery.

The campground is adjacent to public land on the back side of the property as well, so our “back yard” for two weeks was filled with wide open spaces, acres of open space for Calvin to enjoy being off lease, hundreds of friendly grazing cows and a smattering of boondocking RVs across the distant panorama.  This was our perfect jumping off point and only a 25 minute drive to the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park (which is actually in Montana AND Wyoming).

The magic, as it were, began the next morning when we ventured in the direction of the national park.  The campground employees had told us to take our time on the little gravel road out to the highway, as it wasn’t too uncommon to see wildlife.  Sure enough, as we neared the end of the drive, out popped four giant male moose, with full racks of antlers covered in velvet.  They grazed along the side of the road and allowed us ample time to take photos and video.  They jumped the four foot barbed wire fence with ease, casually crossed the road in front of us, posing for more photos along the way.  Once on the other side, they continued their breakfast of tree leaves before wandering slowly into the woods again.  

We were completely energized, having checked off a big item on our “animal wish list”!  We made our way through the little gateway town of West Yellowstone and into the mid-morning line of cars waiting to enter the park.  We knew that our late arrival would set us up for a crowded visit, but all along we had planned this day to be just a drive-thru visit to become assimilated and perhaps hatch a plan to maximize the coming days in the park.

The first and most lasting impression we had as we drove along the Madison River and deeper into the park was the immense grandeur and diversity before our eyes!  Crystal rushing waters, massive boulders, wildflowers in blues, yellows and orange were abounding.  It wasn’t ten more minutes before we looked out across a grassy valley along the river that we saw a herd of elk!  We quickly pulled over and stood in awe as we watched the huge animals make their way across their perfect habitat.  Elk sighting – CHECK!

That day I was able to wade in the Firepole River , where the rounded and colorful rocks under clear waters gave us a little glimpse into the beauty we would be seeing later in Glacier National Park (teaser to an incredible Part III of our Montana journey).

We stopped along the way at the less-busy “attractions” in the park that day, noting the location of the very popular sights so that we could visit another day at an earlier hour.  We quickly realized that this park is different in its topography with each turn we took.  Open grasslands, turned to mountain cliffs and misting geysers and smoke-pots.

We left in mid-afternoon, just as much of the park started to empty out, leaving the wildlife to their privacy for the evening.  Hungry, we sought some “Linner” (a mid-afternoon meal that combines lunch and dinner into one meal) at the aptly named Firehole BBQ, whose claim to fame was their appearance on an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (BIG fans!).  SOLD!  We were all in!  I enjoyed what was perhaps the best brisket I have EVER HAD.  Andrew had a sampling of ribs and a pork BBQ sandwich, which were equally rewarding (he had been hunting a good rack of ribs for weeks and after a couple of disappointments, was rewarded well in West Yellowstone).

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The restaurant was noticeably empty, and the young man that worked there said that this was nearing the “end of the busy season”, a surprise to us, feeling like mid-August was still the height of summer back east.  He went on to explain that the restaurant as well as most of West Yellowstone and even the National Park itself all shut down in the winter months, with cold weather not seen anywhere else in the continental US, and snow piled up as tall as buildings.  It was difficult to imagine on a beautiful August afternoon, but it was a solid reminder that this national treasure sits on harsh and precarious ground.

Over our two-week stay in the area, we spent a total of five days in the park, arriving earlier each time than the time before so that we could beat the crowds and find the animals at their most active.

We saw our first bison on day two in the park.  Having learned that it can be more important to watch for where cars are parked than watching for the wildlife itself, we pulled over on the side of the road and walked toward the gathering crowd.  In our not-so-distant view was a large male bison, laying in the grass in a light wooded area by a creek.  It was a sunny and warm day and he just seemed content to lie still while we took photos and admired his vast size and incredible beauty.  Wild bison – CHECK!  We were satisfied and exhilarated to finally see what Andrew had sought for a lifetime, and had no idea that in the coming days we would see hundreds more of these magnificent beasts.

We were blessed to see animals of all shapes and sizes, nearly every animal on our wish list , and many others that we hadn’t expected (we missed out on seeing any American Bald Eagles).  There were many black ravens, as well as some yet-to-be-identified birds (perhaps you bird lovers can help us in the comments).  Even the little chipmunks were adorable.  We enjoyed a sudden visit by a coyote on a back road we were scouting (another couple had seen a black wolf on this road a previous day, so we were hoping to strike it rich with a visit).  More moose, elk, many fish, and then, near the end of our visit, we saw the gathering crowd witnessing a mother black bear and her two cubs.    They were perhaps 100 yards away, devouring a huckleberry bush in the comfortably warm afternoon sun.  There were perhaps 100 humans looking through their cameras and binoculars for hours as these amazing creatures of God entertained us all.  The “oohs” and “aahs” were heard among the park visitors as the bear cubs could be seen leaving the bush and wandering up the hill to a log, where they licked and swatted playfully at each other.

The winner of our two-week visit was most certainly the bison.  We found many in both the Lamar and Hayden Valleys of the park.  Bison grunted, grazed, rolled in the dusty dirt to get relief from bugs, and occasionally, one male would tussle and butt heads with another as the males were in the rut and busy competing for females for mating.

As you meet fellow visitors to the park, invariably, the conversation tends to become an exciting discussion of the various wildlife encountered.  Everyone is happy to share photos, video and tips on locations for the best sightings you seek.  One couple shopping in a gift shop alongside us in West Yellowstone witnessed the carcass of a recently killed male bison being scavenged by other wildlife.  While there, they watched a video taken by another park guest of two bison in full mating battle, and watched as one bison gored the other in the head with his mighty horn, killing him instantly.  Seven park rangers then labored to move the body of the huge animal to a safer location where nature would take its course in the circle of life, feeding an abundance of other wild animals.

Beyond animals, the natural features of the land were like nothing we have ever seen before.  Old Faithful Geyser is the best known, and was absolutely amazing to see early one morning, but the beauty goes so far beyond this crowd pleaser.  The hydrothermal features included mud pots, lesser-known geyers, large swaths of downed trees from previous volcanic activity, bubbly fumaroles of gaseous waters, hot springs, steam vents and the near-constant smell of sulphur (one of the only times in my life the odor has not been offensive).  None of them disappointed.

We stopped at many road turnouts to take a peek at the various interesting spots.  Side roads took us to outlying areas that felt like we were part of a secret in nature, and we even found our way to a very, very, VERY old (50 million years old) petrified Redwood tree.  

We ate and shopped our way through West Yellowstone, enjoying one of our best dinners at the Madison Crossing Lounge (try their cocktails!) on my birthday.  We ate huckleberry fudge ice cream one afternoon, and we even had a great check-up visit to the West Yellowstone Vet one afternoon with Bug and Calvin.

In what felt like a great departure from the camping life, we got tickets to see Disney’s Newsies at The Playmill Theatre, also on my birthday. It had been a number of years since we had been fortunate enough to see a live show (thanks, Covid), and this little summer stock theatre was just wonderful! The theatre was only perhaps a dozen rows at center stage and perhaps eight rows on two sides of the very small stage – so small that our seats shook as the actors sang and danced! At intermission, guests remained in seats and the actors brought concessions around for sale! Even as we left, we saw the actors dressed as ushers and ticket-takers for the next show of the evening; they truly did it all!

In the summer, there are two shows each day and three different shows continuously through the summer! The quality of the performance was quite impressive overall, and the small atmosphere made for a very personal performance.

The ONLY challenge we had (on soap box) was feeling comfortable in what seemed to be a warm vat of Covid – approximately 300 people (267 guests plus actors) packed into a very warm, very small theatre, elbow-to-elbow and knee-to-knee, with perhaps only a half dozen people choosing to wear masks. We went into the show knowing that vaccines and masks were not required, but we were not prepared for the tightness of the facility. Thankfully, we are vaccinated, and we wore our masks, and did not get sick, but I have no doubt that performances like these are part of what is driving the severe infection spread throughout the state this summer (off soap box).

Another day found us in Ennis, MT where we had a great lunch at Tavern 287, wandered through the Nearly New (thrift) Shoppe, and Willie’s Distillery, where Andy added to his bottle collection and we chatted with several retired service members that were hanging out in town to watch the 8th Annual Montana POW/MIA Ride To Remember ride down the main street (motorcycles).

On a long 12 hour “Sunday drive” road trip with the dogs, we combined a needed visit to Walmart (the best place to buy RV TP, lol) into a big loop south and around and up north again through Grand Teton National Park, which is adjacent to Yellowstone National Park.  We saw Jackson Hole and a number of little towns that catered to visitors with cabins, all terrain vehicles, biking, snow sports and much more.  We watched sunset at a turnout along another section of the Snake River, formed into layered terraces by glaciers millions of years ago, and then made our way through the evening pitch darkness through Yellowstone Park and back to our campsite by midnight.

We even took a little day trip up to Big Spring, close to our campground in Island Park, Idaho.  It is the birthplace of a river, where we could feed bits of hot dog to the eager and abundant trout that swarmed the warm spring water that is the headwaters of the Snake River.

In the end, Part II of our visit to Montana exceeded our already lofty expectations.  Some observations we made along the way, in no particular order of importance:

1. There are no big grocery stores in much of the state.  The stores that are there are expensive and very busy and have a small town feel that made us stand out as outsiders.
2. When visiting, enter the park EARLY.  The summer crowds are excessive frome 10 am – 4 pm, so plan accordingly to see the most sights and to have the potential of seeing the most wildlife.
3. The population of all these popular areas swells significantly in the summer.  Island Park, Idaho, for example, has a population of 268, but has approximately 2.3 million visitors that stream through its main highway each year.
4. We continue to notice that Montanoans are very friendly and welcoming in their state.  Since tourism is their 5th largest employer, they value our presence in their state and take great pride in being a part of such a special place.
5. Many of the summer employees we met were not Montanoans at all, but rather out-of-state visitors that return each season to spend time in this outdoor paradise, earn some money, and then return to a warmer climate each winter.
6. There are no sales taxes in Montana – and alcohol is remarkably affordable.  This makes for a fun time shopping and dining out!

And finally….we agree – Montana is indeed THE LAST BEST PLACE!  

Safe travels, and stay tuned for Part III – we promise this will be the BEST of the “last best”!