Where will you visit in Montana?
In Montana, you will see old mining towns and open pit mines that lost their battle with groundwater. You will experience the life of grizzlies and wolves up close and personal and meditate with medicinal rocks. Montana is a treat for lovers of both history and the outdoors. What are you waiting for? Let’s go!
A state park with a spooky guest
Elkhorn State Park is home to ghosts or, rather, a ghost town. While the Elkhorn ghost town isn’t front and center when you first arrive at the state park, it’s easy to get to if you navigate your way through some back roads. It’s a bit of history that’s been preserved in the Montana wilderness. Barely touched by time, the ghost town is one of the few places in America where you can gaze into the past and see what life and living was like for the 19th century miners who called Elkhorn home. In its heyday, Elkhorn was unlike any other mining town of its time because it was a place where families came and settled down. The town held a massive number of residents – 2,500 – at its prime.
Medicine for the soul
For hundreds, maybe thousands, of years in the past Medicine Rocks State Park had been the gathering place for Native American hunting parties. The park is truly an escape from the modern life we know. It’s a way of getting back to the past before our lives became so busy and hectic. Towering sandstone rock formations dot the land. Over the ages, the elements have tunneled through the rocks, creating interesting and unique patterns on the medicine rocks.
The park is home to caves and hiking trails and used to be where Native Americans would hunt for bison making their way from Yellowstone to other regions of the U.S. While camping here, you can get a gorgeous view of nature, go hiking, take photographs to your heart’s content, and even camp in your RV or tent.
A toxic pit
While it was once a copper mine, the Berkeley Pit is nothing more than a black pit of toxic waste. You may wonder what makes this pit so interesting to visit, but it’s the sheer size of the pit that is astounding. Rest assured that the toxic waste isn’t being left to its own devices. Scientific studies have been going on for the last 30 years to try to understand the Berkeley Pit and how best to treat it. While it was in operation, the copper mine excelled at keeping the groundwater from filling the open pit, but once mining stopped, the water conquered the mine and filled the pit nearly to the brim. Even though it’s simply groundwater that has filled the mine, remember not to touch it, because it is extremely corrosive.
Where the wolf and the grizzly roam
Have you ever wondered what a day in the life of wolves or grizzly bears is like? Well, at the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, you can get a firsthand look. The center is open all year long and plays home to numerous grizzlies and three wolf packs you can observe as they go about their lives. The viewing room for wolves rests between two wolf packs, so you can watch them close up. If you visit the center between May and November, you can even take part in their raptor exhibits and watch stunning birds of prey wheeling through the sky on their hunts.
What an amazing trip, but it seems we forgot something. That’s right – our RV warranty! Don’t let your warranty expire on the road. With the RV Advisor’s extended warranty, you can be sure your essential components are covered if anything happens to them while you’re out adventuring. Check out the benefits of an extended RV warranty through the RV Advisor today!
