Donald & Patricia Walker, Clarksburg, NJ

Montana is a very natural and undeveloped state. I think a lot of that natural beauty comes from the numerous and vast reservations that make up a significant part of the state. The native americans have chosen to keep most of their lands in their natural state which makes for stunning landscapes, but even the non reservation lands are sparsely developed except for around cities and towns

Many Glaciers, Glacier National Park.

Bear Grass

Glacier National Park - The park is one of the main reasons for us coming to Montana. Before becoming a National Park this region was Native American Land and was home to three tribes, the Blackfeet Reservation still butts up against the east side of the park. One of the names they had for this region was the "Land of Ice". We renamed it "Glacier" sometime after making it a national park. If you have plans of visiting Glacier you should do so soon. Of the 150 Glaciers found in the park around 1850, only 25 remain today, thanks to global warming. By 2030 all of the glaciers in the park should have melted. Technically, the 25 remaining may be glaciers, but I think the average person would be very hard pressed to call them glaciers. At least to me they appeared to be nothing more than ice or snow fields. One of the things that makes Glacier stand out is that the park is laid out in a way that keeps you on the edge of the mountains. This way you are always aware of the change in elevation. The cliffs, valley floor and the steep mountain slopes are always right there. Part of Glacier extends into Canada. We took a day and explored that area as well. The layout in the Canadian part is different. There, the valley was developed instead of the mountain sides. We did a couple of hiking trails and were lucky enough to see five black bear including a sow with a cub.

View of Glacier from Canada

Glaciers at Glacier National Park

After leaving Glacier we headed west to Idaho. We had plenty of time so we ended up taking a very scenic route through western Montana. Hell's Canyon - Our first stop was at Hell's Gate State Park. You may not have guessed, but Hell's Gate leads into Hell's Canyon. The park is located in Lewiston Idaho and right across the river is Clarkston Washington. Did you get it? Lewis and Clark stayed in this area on their way back east. They arrived tired and hungry for they had not eaten a decent meal in about five days. In addition, they arrived five weeks before they could cross the mountains due to snow. Like they did so many times before, they befriended the native americans who lived here, who told them where to find food and showed them a good place to camp. Hell's Canyon is the deepest canyon in Idaho. At Snake River the elevation is 750 feet. The canyon got its name from railroad surveyors who were sent in to access the possibility of building a railway through the canyon. Most railroads were built along rivers, just as roads would be later on. If you look at the walls in this canyon, there is no easy way to lay track in there. After a number of years the surveyors gave up saying "this is the canyon from hell", or so the story went. The name was later changed to Hell's Canyon.

We wanted to venture into the canyon so we signed up for a seven hour power boat excursion that went 60 miles up the Snake River. The ride was both exhilarating and educational. Nothing like white water rafting, but at 40mph the ride was still quite a rush. Things happen quickly under those circumstances, and the turns can be very sharp and fast. Luckily we had a very skilled captain who actually helped design and build his own boat. During our excursion we made several stops. At one, we were able to pick 12 cups of blackberries. We ate a few of them, but most went into cobblers we made when we got back to the campground. Central Idaho - Like in Montana, we traveled the scenic by-ways. We traveled through the canyons along the Snake and Salmon Rivers, and around mountains that offered stunning views. Passing through many small towns along the way was a real treat, they were very quaint and unique. Our now tight time schedule didn't afford us the opportunity to stop and linger, our loss. Most of Idaho's history is centered around two major events, the Lewis & Clark Expedition and the Oregon Trail. As you travel through the state you can find many scenic routes that traverse places used by people who traveled the Oregon Trail, which also splintered into the California Trail during the Gold Rush. It seems to me at least, as you travel through southern Idaho, it's hard to find a region that wasn't somehow involved in migration.

Camping in Southern Idaho

Extinct Cinder Cone

Craters of the Moon National Park

Craters of the Moon - This is a really neat place. It's a Lava Field located in a Rift Valley. A rift valley you say? But there are no Tectonic Plates in the middle of America. That is true, but this rift valley was caused by the westward movement of the North American continent as it moved over what is now the Yellowstone hot spot.

Southern Idaho

City of Rocks