The wide-open spaces and canyons of eastern Montana take travelers through epochs, from to the battle site to classic western ranching towns like . If history, solitude, and space are what you鈥檙e after, you鈥檒l find them in abundance on this road trip.
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
Road Trip #5
Total distance: 628 miles; total days: 5-7Book one of Native American guides to explore the site where soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel George Custer clashed with Sioux and Cheyenne warriors under the leadership of Sitting Bull. In addition to highlighting the history of the battle and the life of the Plains Indians, the site is also home to Custer National Cemetery, the interment site for .
MADE IN MONTANA
Warrior Trail Jewelry and GiftsThis mother- and daughter-owned boutique in Lame Deer specializes in from hemp and goat-milk beauty products from Butte to one-of-a-kind handpainted jewelry made from birchbark and rawhide by Ojibwa-Dakota artist Katie Bendickson.
EAT & STAY:聽Buy one of the many historical books at the , then sit on the patio and order a hand-cut rib-eye steak. , 25 miles west of Broadus, sits on 1,000 acres, and its owners whip up a hearty ranch breakfast.
Ekalaka and Surroundings
On the way to , detour to the Chalk Buttes, white sandstone formations in the . There are no designated trails, so make sure you have the proper maps and supplies before you set out to explore these lesser-known buttes. In Ekalaka, visit the , home to the first juvenile T. rex skeleton, before moving on to , which Teddy Roosevelt called 鈥渁s fantastically beautiful a place as I have ever seen,鈥 thanks to its sandstone pillars and abundance of antelope and sharp-tailed grouse.
EAT & STAY:聽Not surprisingly, in Ekalaka offers home-cooked daily specials. In , 36 miles north, stay at one of ten new , each with full kitchens and barbecue grills.
Makoshika State Park
, off I-94, is Montana鈥檚 largest state park and a bounty of badlands fun, with more than ten miles of hiking and mountain biking trails and a newly remodeled visitor center that houses a triceratops skull.
EAT & STAY:聽In , 30 miles east of Makoshika State Park, makes pizza and brews tasty beers. sits on a sandstone bluff overlooking the Yellowstone River.
Billings
will feel like a metropolis after the solitude of the last few days. The flows right through town. Check in with to hire a guide on the Yellowstone or nearby Bighorn River. The sandstone Rimrocks surrounding the city are where the locals blow off steam climbing, hiking, and mountain biking. has details on climbing, and the rents mountain bikes. Be sure to check out the downtown, which covers the history of the 72,000 square miles of the Yellowstone watershed.
EAT & STAY:聽After visiting one of the city鈥檚 eight breweries, be sure to save room for meatloaf at . The freshly rehabbed has an impressive wood-burning fireplace in the foyer and antlers on the carpeting.