MontanaHikes.com
Pine Creek rushes out of the Absaroka Mountains into the Yellowstone River in the heart of Paradise Valley, providing two great hikes. A beautiful 2 1/2 mile roundtrip hike follows the creek to Pine Creek Falls. Backpackers and serious hikers can head on another 4 miles to reach Pine Creek Lake. Visit here once and you’ll discover why Pine Creek is the most popular hike in the Livingston area.
Painted Rocks Recreation Area and Painted Rocks State Park are located in the Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula, MT. Named for the green, yellow, and orange lichens that cover the rock walls, Painted Rocks Reservoir is popular for fishing, water skiing, and all other types of boating. On a typical summer day, you’ll find everything from ski boats to stand-up paddleboards and everyone is having a great time.
The Boulder River is a tributary of the Yellowstone River that originates high in the Absaroka Mountains south of Big Timber, MT. Natural Bridge Falls is the main attraction on the Boulder but the river and surrounding lands provide incredible opportunities for fishing, camping, and exploring.
The Little Belt Mountains are in the Helena Lewis and Clark National Forest southeast of Great Falls, Montana. There’s a lot of different access areas providing a variety of camping, hiking, and outdoor recreation opportunities. For motorized recreation enthusiasts, the Little Belts offer many miles of trails and roads to explore.
Cooney State Park is one of the most visited recreation destinations in south-central Montana. Located within an hour’s drive of Billings, MT, Cooney offers great fishing for trout and walleye and is popular for ice fishing in the winter. Cooney is great for water skiing, wakeboarding, jet skis, and all types of water recreation. Cooney State Park offers camping, picnicking, hiking, and cross-country skiing. No wonder it’s so popular – Cooney Reservoir and State Park have something for almost everyone.
Selecting a tent site is an important but often overlooked part of a good camping experience. If you don’t have a good tent site it’s hard to end up with a comfortable night’s sleep. Just like with selecting a good campsite there are things to keep in mind as you select your tent site.
Car campers in Montana have lots of choices for where to spend the night. There are many different types of campsites in Montana and public and private campgrounds are found throughout the state. In some places, there are camping opportunities outside of designated campgrounds. However, most people find the wide range of developed campgrounds easily fills their needs.
Wherever you are car camping in Montana selecting the right campsite makes a big difference in the enjoyment of your trip. Just like Selecting a Campground, selecting a campsite uses your personal preferences to determine what you are looking for. Remember that what one person finds desirable another might find uncomfortable.
Camping is one of the best ways to experience Montana’s great outdoors. It gives you a direct connection to the outdoor world that’s not easily achieved through day visits and hotel stays. Cooking, eating, sleeping, and living in the outdoors gives you a whole new perspective about our wild places. There are a lot of different ways to enjoy camping in Montana and we will discuss them more fully.