Montana! Unrivaled splendor and awesome beauty! Over 147,000 square miles of mountains, prairies, farms, forests, rivers, and streams await the traveler ready for spectacular scenery and adventure.

A few precautions while you are traveling in the Treasure State

Montana is known for its unpredictable weather. The weather maintains as much variety as does the state's topography.

You can fish year-round in Montana, but seasonal regulations do exist, and water conditions will affect your success.

Because of the exceptional recreational opportunities on Montanas federal lands, the diversity of opportunities available in the Montana State Park System is sometimes overlooked. This would be a mistake, as the true picture of Montana's natural, cultural, and recreational resources is not complete without the state parks.

One of the best-kept secrets in Montana is the availability of cabins and lookout stations that the U.S. Forest Service makes available to the public at a very nominal fee. At the end of each section, we have provided a list of available cabins along with detailed information on each. Following is some general information on reserving and using the cabins.

The national forests and grasslands of Montana stretch from the prairies and badlands of far eastern Montana to the rolling hills and isolated ponderosa pine woodlands of the middle part of the state, to the rugged mountain tops and steep timbered canyons in the west.

In Montana, pristine nature is so prevalent that it is hard to go anywhere and not find beauty and recreation.

It is fascinating that Montana has within its borders portions of the three major river drainage systems of North America.

Gravel roads are the rule rather than the exception in this part of the state.

The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST) was established by Congress under the National Trails System Act of 1968. The trail will extend 3,100 miles, in its entirety, from Canada to Mexico.

There is probably no other state in the continental U.S. that offers the abundance of wildlife viewing as Montana.

Montana is brimming with art and literary talent, both past and present day.

People come to Montana to get away from city life, not to find it.

While traveling on the backroads, you will sometimes get a sense that nobody lives here.

The Native Americans of Montana were largely nomadic. Their history is characterized by movement with the seasons.

Most of the extraordinary story of the Lewis and Clark Expedition occurred in what is now the state of Montana.

The history of Montana is as remarkable and vast as are its open plains.

Montana, a rural state, claims agriculture, mining, and the timber industry to be its founding trades and are still among its most vital.

Here are a few quick facts about the Treasure State.