BOZEMAN, Mont. (AP) - One of the most exciting Christmas gifts I received this year was the latest edition of DeLorme’s Montana Atlas & Gazetteer.
My old copy, which sits coverless and tattered in the backseat of my truck, led my friends and I on countless adventures across the state. The topographical maps include my annotated notes on productive mushrooms grounds, hidden campsites, fishing honey holes and backcountry hot springs.
From the temperate rainforests of Kootenai National Forest to the badlands around Fort Peck, every page of the Montana atlas offers something to explore. Each Forest Service road and tiny blue line on the map represents the possibility of great things, all within the broad and diverse bounds of the Montana landscape.
If you’re looking for adventure in the New Year forget the pricey plane tickets and the passports, Montana has got you covered. Here are a few adventures to get you started. May your trails be long and winding.
Explore Montana’s newest wilderness
President Barrack Obama recently signed the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act into law. The legislation, which passed Congress as a rider on the National Defense Authorization Act, added 105 square miles to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex in northwest Montana.
“The Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, the North Fork Protection Act and the other Montana lands bills in this historic legislation will preserve special places and outdoors traditions while strengthening our economy,” Sen. Jon Tester, D-Montana, said.
“The Bob” is a stronghold for grizzly bears and westslope cutthroat trout. Its high peaks form the spine of the Continental Divide. Each summer the huckleberries ripen along the trail, the beargrass blossoms and the landscape comes alive. If you want wild, “The Bob” has it in spades.
The Bob Marshall Wilderness can be explored from any of the trailheads that offer access to the complex. The acreage added to the wilderness area is on the east side of “The Bob” near Augusta and Choteau.
Walk the Trail of the Cedars
In the temperate rainforest below the soaring peaks of Glacier National Park, an ancient grove of cedars beckons visitors. Accessible from Going-to-the-Sun Road, the Trail of the Cedars is a 0.6-mile return hike that features a number of natural wonders, most notably towering cedar trees more than 80 feet tall.
The Trail of the Cedars is a paved path with some raised boardwalk sections. For hikers seeking further adventure, the trail splits and leads for 2 miles to picaresque Avalanche Lake.
Avalanche Gorge, located halfway along the Trail of the Cedars, is a sight to behold. Turquoise water plunges between the moss-covered, cedar-draped banks.
Camp out at the American Prairie Reserve
The American Prairie Reserve is a large-scale conservation project located north of the Missouri River near Fort Peck Lake. APR’s goal is to create the largest wildlife reserve in the lower 48, approximately 3.5 million acres consisting of both public and private lands.
APR aims to protect the prairie ecosystem by creating and managing a wildlife reserve that encourages enjoyment of the prairie landscape while creating lasting economic benefits. The reserve currently consists of 305,000 acres, though visitors should expect an adventure if they choose to visit.
“The reserve is still in its infancy,” said Hilary Parker, APR communications and outreach manager. “As excited as we are to have people go visit, the reserve is not the kind of place you throw the kids in the car and go on a lark. It really is a very rugged place.”
From badlands to bison, the American Prairie Reserve offers a slice of Montana’s past and a glimpse into its future.
Catch the salmonfly hatch
If you haven’t caught the hatch yet, 2015 might be your year. The annual salmonfly hatch, which arrives on the rivers of Montana each summer, can drive fish crazy - and anglers crazier. To see those big bugs slurped by hungry trout is every angler’s dream, but being on the water when it all comes together is a tall order.
“Persistence is good,” Dustin Gaines of Dan Bailey’s Fly Shop in Livingston said. “The hatch happens during runoff. A lot of the time you can get reports of where the bugs are and the hatch moves upstream each day so you can plan your trips.”
Those living in southwest Montana have an abundance of opportunities to catch the salmonfly hatch. The hatch typically arrives on the Big Hole River south of Butte in mid to late June. The big bugs show up on the Gallatin and Madison rivers shortly after. By early July the salmonflies swarm the Yellowstone River.
“When you get there it is pretty exciting,” Gaines said. “The fish kind of go nuts for them.”
Canoe the White Cliffs of the Missouri River
“The hills and river Clifts which we passed today exhibit a most romantic appearance,” Meriwether Lewis wrote while exploring the Missouri River on May 31, 1805. “The bluffs of the river rise to the hight of from 2 to 300 feet and in most places nearly perpendicular; they are formed of remarkable white sandstone which is sufficiently soft to give way readily to the impression of water.”
The White Cliffs of the Missouri River, located in the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument east of Fort Benton, are no less magical today than they were for the Corps of Discovery more than 200 years ago. The band of white stone that defines the cliffs has been eroded in bizarre fashion forming myriad hoodoos, spires and slot canyons along the river.
Exploring the White Cliffs by canoe takes three to four days from Coal Banks Landings to Judith Landing. Allow an additional day to explore the river from Fort Benton.
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The original story can be found on the Bozeman Daily Chronicle’s website: https://bit.ly/1xydVPF
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Information from: Bozeman Daily Chronicle, https://www.bozemandailychronicle.com
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