Heart Of Montana Day Drive

Our home base this week has been in Great Falls, Montana. With beautiful scenery and a nice variety of restaurants and shops, this was a great place for us to use a base for our Heart of Montana Adventures!

We started out our day drive heading from Great Falls, MT East on 87 to a Right, South on 89 toward Sluce Boxes State Park. Although we didn't hike in the park, we did stop at the overlook for some amazing views of the canyon and river below. From there we headed through the forest toward our hike of the day at Memorial Falls. There are 2 sets of falls, the lower and the upper falls. This is an easy hike, only 1/4 mile to the lower and then an easy 1/4 to the upper. We brought our pup with us on the hike and she enjoyed exploring the woods with us.

From there we continued South on 89 towards White Sulpher Springs. If you are making this trip as a multiple day drive, this looks like a cute town for a stop. We, however, took a right on 12 and continued to Townsend where we caught 287 North toward Helena.

In Helena we explored the Last Chance Gulch, the area where the miners finally found gold in their last ditch effort before running out of supplies. This area has now been turned into a lovely walking district with local eateries, shops and pubs. Within walking distance of the Last Chance Gulch is the Historic Reeder's Alley. This beautifully preserved brick complex was built in the 1870's to house miners.

While we were in Helena we stopped in at Cheddar's for a delicious grilled cheese and afterwards at the Blackfoot Brewing Company for an amazing IPA. Both of these local places have outdoor seating which is great if you bring your pup along for the tour.

As we left Helena, we headed North on 15 towards Great Falls. I was expecting this to be a typical highway drive and even thought I might read a book on the way home. This was not the case. This drive was amazing. Just North of Helena, the highway picks up the Missouri River and takes you through craggy gorges as you follow the meandering river. We were mesmerized by the beauty of the area.