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CLOUD-WATCHING |
VIEWFORTH'S
location is also the home of the amazing "dragon clouds" year
round. You might be tempted to use an abundance of film or you may prefer
to simply lie on your back and just watch the spectacular clouds amass
and billow and transform from one mythological creature to another. |
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KITE- FLYING |
Bring along your depressed,
deflated kite and let it soar at VIEWFORTH -- your kite in "The
Big Sky"! |
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STAR-GAZING |
Far from city lights, VIEWFORTH'S
name is very appropriate at night-time, too. Looking up -- stars and
stars and stars -- constellations, galaxies, shooting stars, the aurora
borealis, moonlight so bright that you can often read by the light of
it. When viewing the night skies at VIEWFORTH, the word is, decidedly,
"Awesome"! |
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WILDFLOWER-VIEWING |
If you can bear to take your
eyes off of the skies, there are glorious things happening on 'terra
firma' too. Naturalists, photographers, botanical illustrators -- for
anyone who loves wildflowers, the plains and hills and mountains around
VIEWFORTH are home to spectacular displays of wildflowers, some experts
claim the best in the nation. The Rocky Mountain Front is the farthest
north habitat of the American plains flowers and also the southernmost
reach for alpine blooms. Bring your camera, your sketchbook, your journal,
your wildflower guidebook and be prepared to be dazzled and delighted. |
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TRAIL-HIKING |
Speaking of 'terra firma' leads
naturally to mention of the numerous, beautiful day-hikes close to VIEWFORTH.
A 4-mile country-road loop beginning at VIEWFORTH -- partridges, chickadees,
killdeer, warblers, snipes and gulls. Hawks and eagles often soar overhead
and hundreds of thousands of migrating geese V-line over VIEWFORTH each
fall along with swans and ducks and pelicans. Short distances away are
four specially designated preserves renowned for bird-watching -- the
Nature Conservancy's Pine Butte Swamp Preserve; Freezout Lake and Blackleaf
Management Area (both Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks preserves); and
Sun River Canyon (Lewis and Clark National Forest). Bring along your
binoculars and field-guides. |
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WILDLIFE-VIEWING |
Back on the ground again! The
four bird-watching preserves just mentioned are also prime sites to
view earth-bound creatures -- elk, deer, antelope, mountain goat, mountain
sheep, coyotes, marmots, beaver and grizzly bear. The Sun River Canyon
is home to one of the country's largest herds of bighorn sheep. Add
Our Lake to the list of wildlife-viewing areas, an alpine lake reached
by a beautiful 3.5 mile hike. A sixth area to add is the mile-long trail
on the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch (a Boone and Crockett owned
property) which offers a breathtaking view of the Rocky Mountain Front
as well as its animals. |
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DINOSAUR DIGGING |
Speaking of wildlife -- just
a few miles northwest of VIEWFORTH is Egg Mountain, the location of
the now famous Maiasaura dinosaurs and their egg-filled nests of 80
million years ago, fossilized for posterity. Extensive paleontology
research experiences are available as well as daily summer tours. |
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FLY-FISHING |
Rivers, streams, lakes, ponds,
reservoirs -- the fishing opportunities on the Rocky Mountain Front
are legendary. The dining table at VIEWFORTH has featured just enough
of the catch to make us believers in the legend! Boating and canoeing
are also popular on the Front's waters. |
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BULL-RIDING |
Should a Montana vacation just
not seem complete without a rodeo, the towns around VIEWFORTH offer
the best of this colorful cowboy sport. Augusta in particular (just
7 miles down the road) is famous for its wild west rodeo in June. And
while in Augusta, treat yourselves to viewing the buffalo herd on the
SW edge of town and stop in at Latigo and Lace, a fine western gift-shop/gallery. |
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MUSEUM-VISITING |
Several excellent
museums and interpretive centers are within an hour's drive of VIEWFORTH.
Choteau, 19 miles north, hosts the Old Trail Museum, a complex featuring
exhibits including famed western writer A. B. Guthrie, Jr; paleontology/dinosaurs;
Métis history. Great Falls is home to the world-renowned C. M.
Russell Museum which holds the most complete collections of paintings,
drawings, sculptures and memorabilia of famed cowboy-artist, Charlie
Russell -- a step back into the world of cowpokes and campfires, Indians,
buffalo and that ever-gorgeous Montana landscapes! The Lewis and Clark
National Historic Trail Interpretive Center is the site where Lewis
and Clark and their expedition portaged around the falls in 1805. |
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SIGHT-SEEING |
Some favorite places not mentioned
under the preceding heading include; Ulm-Pishkun Buffalo Jump ( a state
park), thought to be the longest buffalo jump in the world, dating back
to before A.D. 500. A prairie-dog town is also at the site, 45 miles
east of VIEWFORTH. The drive south from VIEWFORTH on U.S. Highway 287
to Wolf Creek and Prickly Pear Canyon is one of the most scenic in the
nation -- ranchlands, prairie, foothills, mountains, rivers, creeks,
and then, the canyon! Truly spectacular! Twenty miles more finds you
in Helena, the state Capitol, with numerous historical and cultural
sites. |
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