4 Best Sights in Big Timber and the Boulder River, Helena, Bozeman, and Southwest Montana

The small but well-organized Crazy Mountain Museum houses exhibits on Big Timber's history and people, as well as the Crazy Mountains. Highlights include the famous Cremer Rodeo, sheep and wool exhibits, a collection of chaps and cattle brands, and a room dedicated to pioneers that includes artifacts dating from the late 1890s. An early-20th-century schoolhouse and a Norwegian stabbur, or storehouse, also stand on the grounds.

The comical critters at Greycliff Prairie Dog Town State Park pop out of their underground homes, stand upright, sound their chirping alarms, and dash to another hole. Explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark referred to these "barking squirrels" in their journals. At this 98-acre protected habitat you can catch the action from your car.

At Natural Bridge State Monument the Boulder River disappears underground, creating a natural bridge, then reappears as roaring falls in the Boulder River canyon. Hiking trails and interpretive signs explain how this geologic wonder occurred. The Main Boulder Ranger Station, a few miles past the bridge, is one of the oldest in the United States and is now an interpretive center.

Drop by the Yellowstone River Trout Hatchery, a five-minute drive from the town center, to view and learn about cutthroat trout. The best time to visit the hatchery is in spring, when you can see the fingerlings.