National Bison Range
http://www.gonorthwest.com/montana/northwest/bison_range_ta.htm
Take a drive northwest of Missoula and take in the sights of the majestic Mission Mountains. You can visit the National Bison Range which protects a herd of 300-500 buffalo on approximately 19,000 acres of grassland and forest. You might see whitetail and mule deer, pronghorns, elk, bighorn sheep, and if you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of a Rocky Mountain goat. Keep an eye out for other wildlife such as beaver, mink, weasel, muskrat, bobcats, coyotes and black bears. If you’re a bird-watcher, bring your binoculars and view some ring-necked pheasants, gray partridges and grouse.
Garnet/Rock Creek Self-Guided Tour (Ghost Town and Visitor Center)
http://www.garnetghosttown.org
For a glimpse of the real “Old West,” head to Garnet, one of the best preserved ghost towns in Montana. This historic gold-mining town, prospered from 1895-1911 when more than a thousand people lived there. As gold became scarce, Garnet’s population diminished rapidly. Today, you can still see many of Garnet’s abandoned houses, stores and mines. The visitor center at Garnet is open 10 am to 6 p.m. daily during the summer. Cars are allowed on the road from June 1 through November 15. The visitor center’s winter hours are 10 am to 5 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. After visiting Garnet, bring your flies and rod and cool off with blue-ribbon trout fishing on nearby Rock Creek.
Ninemile Remount Depot
If you’re a history buff, the Ninemile Valley, 25 miles west of Missoula is a fascinating trip. The Valley is home to the Ninemile Remount Depot, a long time Forest Service supply and dispatch center for mules and other livestock used for firefighting and back-country work. The ranger station is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, recognized for its distinctive Cape Cod architecture and its historic role in land management. Today, the ranger station remains a working ranch that is home to the popular “Forest Service Centennial Pack String”. There’s an interesting Visitor Center at the ranger station. You can also take a self-guided tour of the grounds and buildings and see the ranch in operation. From the ranger station, you can continue farther north in the mountains for lunch and a walk at the Grand Menard Picnic Area and Discovery Trail.
Glacier National Park - 2 ½ hours from campground. A good day tour.
http://www.nps.gov/glac
Enter Glacier National Park and you are stepping into one of the most pristine natural settings left in North America--perhaps in the world. Protected for most of this century, the park still looks much as it has looked since the glaciers began receding 10,000 years ago. Like an enchanted highway in a fairy tale, the world-famous Going-to-the-Sun Road winds its way up and up, past forests and lakes, until you are driving among the peaks themselves. An extraordinary feat of engineering listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the highway offers to everyone what was once available only to the hardiest of hikers. From Lake McDonald on the west to St. Mary on the east, visitors travel a route that leaves no one unmoved by its majesty and beauty.
Flathead Lake -- July is Cherry Season
