Jun
4
Central Montana Day-Trips
June 4, 2008 | 2 Comments
How about starting off in Cascade? Cute town, and for such a small community, it sure has some good parks. And right on the Missouri River – beautiful. Lunch at the Badger Cafe – delicious! Then a bumpy ride a few miles west towards the old ruins of St Peters, which I believe was built in 1855 and (mostly) burned down in 1887.
Next stop: Augusta, near the Rocky Mountain Front! Tiny community – population about 300 or so, I think – with one main street that takes you back in time. One general store, one “bunk house” hotel, a unique gift & art store, a Western clothing store, a diner, a library, and a couple of bars that double as restaurants. Friendly people (duh). On the side streets we found another hotel with a cool retro sign, the public school, and a few parks, houses, and old buildings.
(click to see full-size pix)
And let’s finish up with a drive up to Chester on the Montana Hi-Line. Small community; about 1,000 people, and the seat of Liberty County. It’s amazing how different the scenery is when you drive north versus south (or southwest). Both are beautiful drives, in their own way; I know that some people don’t consider the flatter, more barren region north of Great Falls to be “beautiful,” but it really is awesome. The highlight of the trip was the Sugar Shack – a way-cool retro diner. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open; some of the locals told us that it closed a couple of summers ago, and they’re not sure if it will re-open. Here’s some pix of the trip; click to see ‘em all and in full-size:
There you go: three amazing day-trips in Central Montana. Do you have any favorite day-trips or small communities that you like to visit?
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Great photos. I am determined to visit Chester this summer! It looks very cool. It’s not central, but I always had fun when my family went to Philipsburg. The scenery is great, and so is the candy shop and sapphire mine.
Another tiny, blink if you miss it town from my youth is Silver Star, about 15 miles south of Whitehall. It’s small as can be and there is one cafe but every couple years it goes under new ownership and I have no idea what it is right now. They also used to have a market that was also the post office and also the local taxidermist. Maybe it doesn’t even qualify as a town.
You should try to Visit White Sulpher Springs and the Lewistown/Stanford area.
Philipsburg, Whitehall, Twin Bridges, Ennis and Dillon are great to visit. Tons to see and great history. If you make it to Dillon – you HAVE to go to Bannack.
Silver Star is a super community. I’d call it my family favorite.