Multiple tepee poles and a river are silhouetted against a dawn sky.

Today tepee poles stand sentinel at the site of August 9th, 1877 dawn attack at the Big Hole.

Big Hole

On August 9, 1877, gun shots shattered a chilly dawn on a sleeping camp of Nez Perce. By the time the smoke cleared on August 10, almost 90 Nez Perce were dead along with 31 soldiers and volunteers. Big Hole National Battlefield was created to honor

Summer view of the Yellowtail Dam from the Ok-A-Beh road.

Summer view of the Yellowtail Dam from the Ok-A-Beh road. (Fort Smith, MT District)

Bighorn Canyon

The vast, wild landscape of Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area offers visitors unparalleled opportunities to immerse themselves in the natural world, and experience the wonders of this extraordinary place. With over 120,000 acres, one can find a

View from Missouri River bottoms of Southwest bastion

Viewing Fort Union Trading Post from the Missouri River bottoms one can imagine how grandiose the site would appear to weary steamboat travelers.

Fort Union Trading Post

Between 1828 and 1867, Fort Union was the most important fur trade post on the Upper Missouri River. Here, the Assiniboine and six other Northern Plains Tribes exchanged buffalo robes and smaller furs for goods from around the world, including cloth,

Large mountains dotted with snow loom above a rocky meadow filled with yellow flowers.

Glacier lilies dot the landscape off the Highline Trail.

Glacier

A showcase of melting glaciers, alpine meadows, carved valleys, and spectacular lakes. With over 700 miles of trails, Glacier is a paradise for adventurous visitors seeking wilderness steeped in human history. Relive the days of old through historic

A front view of the ranch house.

The front portion of the ranch house was originally built by Canadian fur trader Johnny Grant in 1862.

Grant-Kohrs Ranch

Wide open spaces, the hard-working cowboy, his spirited cow pony, and vast herds of cattle are among the strongest symbols of the American West. Once the headquarters of a 10 million acre cattle empire, Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site preser

Green Monarch Ridge by Lake Pend Oreille ID

Green Monarch Ridge by Lake Pend Oreille ID

Ice Age Floods

At the end of the last Ice Age, 18,000 to 15,000 years ago, an ice dam in northern Idaho created Glacial Lake Missoula stretching 3,000 square miles around Missoula, Montana. The dam burst and released flood waters across Washington, down the Columbi

Small waterfall with brown rocks and green moss

Giant springs is a site along the Lewis and Clark National Historic Site located in Great Falls, Montana

Lewis & Clark

The Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail winds nearly 4,900 miles through the homelands of more than 60 Tribal nations. It follows the historic outbound and inbound routes of the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 1803-1806 from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvani

The sun sets behind the Indian Memorial.

The Indian Memorial is a circular earthwork carved gently into the prairie. The walls carry the names of those who fell here as well as the words of some who fought in the battle.

Little Bighorn Battlefield

This area memorializes the US Army's 7th Cavalry, Crow, and Arikara scouts and the Lakotas, Cheyennes, and Arapaho in one of the American Indian's last armed efforts to preserve their way of life. Here on June 25 and 26 of 1876, 263 soldiers, includi

Colorful painted tipi on green lawn

Every morning in the summer Rangers put a tipi on the front lawn of the visitor center. Visitors are always welcome to help.

Nez Perce

Since time immemorial, the valleys, prairies, mountains, and plateaus of the inland northwest have been home to the nimíipuu (Nez Perce) people. Extremely resilient, they survived the settling of the United States and adapted to a changed world. Nez

Brilliant blues and greens of a hot spring ringed by oranges, yellows, reds, and browns.

The bright colors found in Grand Prismatic Spring come from thermophiles—microorganisms that thrive in hot temperatures

Yellowstone

On March 1, 1872, Yellowstone became the first national park for all to enjoy the unique hydrothermal wonders. Today, millions of people come here each year to camp, hike, and enjoy the majesty of the park.