Welcome, welcome everyone, into the Montana Outdoor Podcast. So glad that you joined us. Today, we are gonna tell you about our state parks. A lot of you have asked, hey, you know, what do you recommend for state parks this year and those kind of things? We are blessed that so many of our viewers just love our state parks, and what's not to love, they're awesome. And so we're gonna talk about that. The newest numbers came out about Montana State Parks might surprise you.
We're gonna talk all about that next. One of the things that I wanted to bring to everybody's attention, every year they they do the attendance records for Montana State Parks. And they've been doing that for a long time, and and so it's kind of neat to to see, but really, ever since COVID, our state parks have have just grown by leaps and bounds as far as attendance. But you know, COVID's been over with for a while, but it just keeps increasing visitors.
I I'll give you a few numbers here that just blow me away. Last year we continued to have an increase in attendance in our state parks, almost a five percent increase in our state parks. Now, if you look at the 10 years, over the last 10 years, this one just flat blows me away. We have had over uh almost a 30% increase in state parks attendance over the last 10 years. That's an increase of 725,000 visitors in the last 10 years.
And we're one of the few states that our our citizens actually make up the most folks that that actually attend our state parks. So Montana is the uh the the leader, that's followed by our neighbors in Washington, Idaho, California, Colorado, Oregon, Texas, and get this one coming in at number eight, Florida. Long way away. So and then just one one last interesting update in well, actually, it's it's been going this way for quite a while, and that is Giant Springs State Park.
Again, this year was the the most visited state park, followed by the Flathead Lake State Parks, and then we go to Cooney Reservoir, Lake Elmo, and Lone Pines. So that just gives you a little idea of that. If you want to read the entire report, let me know. I've got my email on screen there, and also in the podcast description, I'll have a link to this uh little report. You can see what's going on. So let's welcome in this gal right here who just popped up on your screen. That is Megan Bicking.
She has been on the program with us before. Uh, Megan is is somebody that has had an incredible passion for our state parks and and just for Montana's outdoors and works so hard for our state parks. So we we love to have her on, and she's great at updating us on what's been going on with our state parks. So, Megan, um, you know, I would like to just take all credit for that because you talked to us on the podcast about state parks, but I don't think it's us.
I think it has a lot to do with the state parks foundation. And you folks have have just made our parks, continue to make our parks attractive, exciting, and always got new events. So uh let's start there. What are some of the tops of the trees that you feel folks might be interested and excited about as far as things coming up for our state parks this summer?
Yeah, so thank you for having me on, Dale. Um, really excited to be here and talk a little bit more about state parks, my favorite subject. So there's a lot of things going on at our state parks this summer, almost too many to even possibly try to list. So I thought what might be kind of interesting today would be to kind of go region by region. So there's seven regions um looking at the state parks.
And I thought maybe I'd just give a couple examples of cool things going on in each region to give people a place to start off. Does that sound good? Yeah, that'd be great. Okay, cool. Yeah. Yeah. So I want to preface that. Well, state parks, obviously. I am the executive director of the Montana State Parks Foundation. And to give everyone a quick background on our nonprofit organization, we are a grassroots nonprofit. We're very, very small.
I'm actually the only paid staff person, and then we have seven volunteer board members. And so we all work really, really hard to provide extra funding and capacity support for the state parks. We really look at individual park operating budgets and talk with the park staff and FWP, try to figure out where they need some more support. If there's certain things they're trying to accomplish that they don't have a budget for, we try to swoop in and make those things happen.
So I'm really grateful to be here, grateful to be talking about the parks and super excited to share more of what's going on. So the parks are awesome. Something that I love about the parks for people who live in Montana, just regular folks, is that they offer us a really, really affordable way to access Montana's incredible landscapes and heritage. Any Montana resident, you pay that $8 annual fee with your registration, and you can get into any state park for free.
Out-of-state visitors should plan to pay a small fee, but it's very, very modest. And those fees go directly to park operating budgets. So whenever you're paying a fee for camping or for a tour or something like that, that is a way to support your parks as well.
Well, you know, I I I often get a comment from from our viewers and that, especially our out-of-state viewers, who say, How the heck do they do that for that little amount that it costs us? And of course, one, I I think is there's a lot of people that go to our state parks, so that helps. But two, just really good budget management, I think.
Yeah. The parks work really hard to make a lot of magic happen on pretty limited budget. So it's I'm always super impressed with what they can get done.
Yeah, and when we look at the regions, one last thing I I wanted to bring up was that region four had the largest increase of all the different regions in the state parks system. Region one overall had the most attendance, and it makes a little sense, I guess, with all the parks around Flathead Lake and all that. But region four had quite an increase.
So that's kind of a region four is pretty awesome. Like Giant Springs is an amazing place, Judas Landing is another amazing park. Um, yeah. So I go, I guess I'll start at Region Four and let everyone know about some events that are going on up in that neck of the woods. Okay. So for anyone that's not aware, there's seven regions. This is how the state looks at the map and management, and there's seven regions. So we'll start with region four.
So region four is Helena-ish, Great Falls-ish, Central Montana-ish. Part of the reason I think that region four has had so much tourism is because it is a kind of natural drive from Glacier to Yellowstone, and people like to hit up the parks on the way. So it's a really great uh way to add a couple landmarks on your trip if you're going from Yellowstone or Glacier or the other way around. There's some really cool spots to stop on in between.
So let me tell you about a few programs going on over at First People Buffalo Jump. So that is outside of Ulm, Montana, or Vaughn. It's right, right, I think south of Great Falls.
And for our out-of-state friends that love to visit, a lot of you want to know more about our history and and heritage of Native Americans. And that's a great place to learn about that, too.
So yes, and they do have cultural programs throughout the summer as well. I don't have the information on those programs right in front of me, but I do know they're going on. So definitely give their Facebook page, Region 4 Facebook page, or the FWP State Park website a visit to learn more there.
Yeah. In the podcast description, folks, the the links are right there for you, and it'll take you right to that that page and to the Facebook page if you want to click on those.
Perfect. So flying around next, you want to go to region five, the billings area? Okay, cool. So in the billings area, there's a program called the Writing Montana Workshop that takes place at Pictograph Cave State Park. The workshop, it's been going on for years, actually, and it is led by a writer named Dave Casario. So this program's been going on for years, and unfortunately, last year its funding was cut. It was previously funded by Humanities Montana.
Humanities Montana, unfortunately, wasn't able to keep funding it. So the foundation was reached out to, and we were able to step in and provide funding to make sure that that program is able to go on at least this year, but we think we'll be able to fund it for years to come. So I'll just throw out there if anyone's interested in supporting that, reach out and let me know. Because we are looking to keep that program going for all time.
So it's a really cool workshop, and you'll also be hearing from the park rangers with some, you know, background on the really, really incredible history at Pictograph Cave. And then, yeah, it's it's an incredible, it's a really a wild park. It's a really good one right outside of Billings. If you've never been, I very, very highly recommend it. It's a really beautiful space.
And one thing I'll add to that, Megan, is you know, when you think of Montana, you know, you think our our history is pretty young as compared to say some of you folks that are from, you know, way back east. I mean, I think was Abraham Lincoln was the one that created us to be a territory, but Montana actually has some incredible ancient history. And that is one of them where that goes back into the tens of thousands of years, doesn't it, Megan?
That's right. Yeah. So there are actually still existing pictographs painted onto the caves. You can see artwork that was created, you know, over 10,000 years of human history. So there's pre pre-history um artifacts there, or pre-recorded history artifacts and pictographs. And the park rangers do an excellent job of kind of conveying the interpretation of those pictographs and what the artifacts were used for. And it's just a really incredible place.
It's one of those places where you go and you feel you feel it. You know, you go there and you're like, wow, there's there's something here, and it's it's a really cool space. So I think that this workshop is a great way to experience it in a kind of different way and to connect it on a deeper level.
And it kind of fits because when you look at it, that's kind of the the birthplace in Montana as far as storytelling and artwork and all that kind of stuff. So if if you're a young writer or artist, I think this place will inspire you.
Yeah, it's a it's a great one, and it is open to all ages. And we've had people come as like family groups and things like that. So just another way to look at it is going um with a friend or with your your kids or something like that could be really cool.
So, where do you want to take us next?
I think I want to combine region six and seven, as often happens. There's a lot of really cool things out in region six and seven, so that's covering pretty much all of eastern Montana. So you the whole eastern side of Montana is region six and seven, and we have some really, really uh unique things going on there out there this year.
Um, one of the most, I think, important events this summer for Montana history people is gonna be the 100th and 50th anniversary commemoration of the Battle of the Rosebud. So this is connected to the Battle of Little Bighorn, but the Battle of Rosebud occurred on June 17th, and this will be the 150th anniversary. Um, there is an event open to the public. It is free, it is put on in partnership with the Northern Cheyenne. It's a commemoration event.
It will include a wreath laying ceremony, keynote speaker, honor guard, drumming, victory dance. And I think something that will be really powerful is the horseback ride into the park. So there's planned to be around a hundred people on horseback riding into the park. So a tribal name for the battle was the battle where the sister saved her brother. And so there'll be a re- reenactment of the story of Buffalo calf roadwoman rescuing her brother, Chief comes in sight, and then a meal to follow.
So it's going to be a really beautiful event that is, you know, once in 150 years.
Hey Rigger, before you and Megan move on, I wanted to remind folks that the Montana Outdoor Podcast is brought to you by Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer, home of boss snow plows and accessories, and Diamond C trailers and accessories. Go to RMTTE.com and see everything they have waiting for you online. Or just come by 5680 Expressway in Missoula and by Superior Hardwoods of Montana, delivering the highest quality lumber, paneling, flooring, and reclaimed wood products anywhere in North America.
Let them guide you through the woods at their showroom in Missoula on Highway 93 South or at superior-hardwoods.com.
Thanks, Roger. And speaking of that, I was just going to talk about one of our great sponsors. Fact is, there would not be a podcast if it weren't for the support of great Montana-owned companies like Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer. So if you enjoy any of these podcasts and you happen to need a new trailer for work or hauling things on your next adventure, why not go see the folks that support what you like to do?
For example, you can find right now at Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer something that all folks who love Montana's outdoors can always appreciate, and that is top tier toughness. Yes, what we need here in Montana's Great Outdoors. Whether we're on the job side or the open road, headed for our favorite fishing spot. Here's what I want you to do right now. Head to Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer either the next time you're in Missoula or right now at rmtte.com.
Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer is your dealer for baseline equipment dump trailers. You're gonna love these. What's great about anything from Baseline is everything they make is built to work as hard as you do. Baseline is a heavy-duty, high-performance trailer that hauls, dumps, and delivers no matter the load. Backed by real expertise and hometown service, you can trust.
And the only place you'll find them is at Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer, there at 568 Expressway in Missoula, or on the web at rmtte.com. As my friends at Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer put it, baseline is basics done best. And don't forget, gang, you can also find the Diamond C Single Axle PSA trailer. PSA stands for Premium Single Axle Trailer, by the way. And I have to tell you, premium is an understatement.
The Diamond C Single Axle PSA has a sleek design, rock solid frame, and unbeatable performance. The PSA is your go-to for daily hauling, whether it's at the job site or at the campsite. And you guessed it, you will only find them at Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer, your local Diamond C single-axle PSA trailer dealer, right there at 5680 Expressway in Missoula. Or go see them at rmtte.com, Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer, your workhard and playhard headquarters at RMTTE.com.
That that whole area, all of Eastern Montana has is so special to a lot of people because it really just shows it all, as far as you know, some of the uh the sadder points of our history, some of the uh amazing things. For me personally, I have a lot of family history there. My my grandfather built some of the first Methodist churches in the area in Shodo and Opime and places like that. And then my great-great-grandfather, he was General Custer's valet when he was 14 years old.
Whoa. Yeah, well, he was a he was a messenger boy. They used a lot of very young teenagers back in the day because they were light, small, they could carry these messages. And so he he was one of those, and he was sent away to carry message, a message when they were on their way to Little Bighorn, so he didn't he didn't die in that. But uh yeah, he he polished General Custer's boots and cut his hair. My mom he lived till he was 98 years old.
Uh and my mom, when she was a little girl, had to take care of him because he was blind, and uh would tell her these horrible stories about being in the cavalry and all that.
She said that is wild. That is quite the family history. It really is. It just amazing. So anyway, that's that's super cool. I might need to you might need to write a book about that, Dale. You have an interesting family history.
Yeah, it is, it is, yeah.
Wow. Well, that's that's really cool. And I think that I'm really looking forward to that event. I think it's gonna be beautiful, and I'm really excited to learn more about the history. But I've actually never been to that state park before, so that'll be my 43rd state park in Montana. So I'm excited to go for that reason to get it checked off the list.
Yeah, you you do a lot of traveling around this state. The other thing, and though the region is that's where we find a lot of the dinosaurs. Wasn't it there, wasn't there some connection with it uh and the Jurassic Park movie or something like that?
Oh, well, I think that I okay, I'm not the expert on this, so take this with a grain of salt. But this is just from being a child of the 90s and paying attention to Jurassic Park. I think that the paleontologist Horner, who was a paleontologist at MSU, did advice like advisory work on Jurassic Park. I that's all I should say because I don't really know, but I think that's the case.
Yeah, they found a lot of you know, dinosaur bones and that in the area. I'm not gonna I always mess this name of the park up, the Makoshika State Park.
Yeah, Koshika.
Makoshica, that's it. Yeah, they have found dinosaur bones and all that stuff.
So yep, that's true. That's true. So Makoshika is on my list to tell you some more. But yes, Makoshica is definitely the park you want to go to if you're out in eastern Montana and you want to learn about dinosaurs. There's a lot of dinosaur discovery there and all over eastern Montana and going up towards Shodo, there's tons of dinosaur discovery history. Eat it, even at Judith Landing State Park, our newest state park, which I'll mention in a bit. There's been dinosaur history there as well.
It's very interesting part of the world, especially for people interested in, you know, archaeology, paleontology, everything like that. But Makoshika is one of the coolest state parks in the world. I'm I'm positive about that. I'm confident in that statement. And it's a really cool landscape, too. It's kind of like you just like showed up on the moon. It's a really interesting Badlands kind of landscape, and it's just a really cool place.
Some of you might recall there was actually a wildfire at Makoshika last year over the 4th of July weekend. Um, it was a pretty damaging wildfire, but fortunately it was controlled very quickly. No one was injured. There was, unfortunately, my not mine, the Montana State Parks Foundation yurt burned down, which was really sad and kind of just an interesting experience to have at work.
But um yeah, so the they're working on some wildfire recovery and finding ways to fund new lodging to replace the yurt and just bring that alternative lodging back to the park.
Um, a yurt is one of those round kind of tent type things. If it people could stay in it, right?
Um yeah, so it's burned down now, so you can't stay in it now, but before the 4th of July last year, it was uh something that you could reserve. And that's actually a great thing for people to know. I am gonna talk about this in a little bit. Um reservations. There's actually a lot of different camping and lodging opportunities at state parks. A yurt is one example of an alternative lodging opportunity.
So we had designed that yurt to be accessible, ADA compliant, and have it be a nice resource for people that need something beyond just a tent campsite. So it had a nice ramp and you know, nice big giant deck so that people could easily hang out on the porch. It was beautiful. Um, and we're hoping to replace that. But people should know across the state, there's quite a few state parks that have cabins for rent, teepees for rent, camp campsites, RV sites, all different things.
And really, it's a much more affordable option if you're traveling than finding a hotel room or an Airbnb or something like that.
Yeah, and and really most of those state parks are near all these other activities. So, for example, if it's a family trip and and say uh dad and brother love to fish, there's usually rivers or lakes near these things. So, I mean, it's it is something where you can you know use it. I I know a lot of fishermen that fish tournaments use our state parks as places to stay uh when they're fishing in tournaments. So it's yeah, that there's a lot of reasons to go.
Yeah, I always like to treat them as a home base when I'm camping. Generally, when I'm camping, unless back unless I'm backpacking, I like to treat you know the campsite as your home base, and then you figure out all the cool stuff around and you check it out and go back home at the End of the day to your cozy campsite. Um yeah, so there was one other event. There's actually quite a few events at Makoshika throughout the summer. That's one of the more enhanced state parks.
So there'll be events throughout the summer and really throughout the year. So I really strongly recommend checking out the um region six, I think. Maybe I think six and seven are combined on Facebook, but I would check them out on Facebook. I would check out the Friends of Makoshika on Facebook and their website, as well as the FWP State Park website. But the other event I wanted to highlight really quick there is Shakespeare in the Parks.
That is a really cool program for anyone that loves Shakespeare or, you know, the theater. Um, Shakespeare in the Parks is wild. They go, they're very talented actors. They work incredibly hard to make this program happen.
I think they have a different show every night, and they are literally across the entire state of Montana, down into Idaho, into Wyoming, and they just travel and they go to a new location every day during the summer and they put on a full play with costumes, with an entire set, with like multiple actors, and they do a great job. So this Shakespeare in the Parks this year at Makoshika is Much Ado About Nothing. It is free. It is on July 3rd.
So that would be awesome if you're camping there or hanging out in that region for 4th of July. That would be really fun. Um yeah, I just want to throw that one in there too, because it's kind of different.
So for our viewers in New York, I know you have Broadway, but we kind of have our own Montana version of Broadway there with the Yes, we do, and it's Shakespeare in the parks.
And there look look them up online too. They have so many shows across the entire state. If if you can't make it to Makoshika, you'll find another place to see them.
All right. And where would you like to head to as we go across the great state of Montana looking at some of our points of interest in our state?
Uh let me hit on a couple big ones in region. I'll just do a region one. We'll go back to region one. So this is Flathead Lake and Kalisfell, Northwest Montana. And you're right, this is the highest concentration of state parks. There's a gazillion state parks up there, and they're all awesome. Lone Pine State Park is the state park right outside of Kalisfell. And a fun program that they do that's pretty popular is Sundays with Camo. Camo is a bull snake, so it's Sundays.
You get to go hang out with a snake and watch it eat its lunch. Um, and while it's eating its lunch, you get to learn about snake adaptations and weird snake stuff. So that's a kind of fun one. It's at two o'clock this year. They have it going on May 31st and June 28th. And I'll believe, I believe they'll be adding some more dates to that. Um, yeah. So that's just a fun, a fun one.
Another one that's scared to death of snakes, you you might pass on that one.
Yeah, both snakes are big too. I'm not sure how big Camo is, but both snakes can get quite large. Um, I'll showcase another. There's so many things going on up there. I'll just choose one more to tell you about. Um up on Flathead Lake. So Flathead Lake is all considered a state park, but there's quite a few units. So at Wild Horse Island, which is an island, you need to boat out to it. It's honestly probably my top, maybe top three, definitely the top three. It's it's an amazing park.
Yeah, that that's just a fun phenomenal park. Um, my kids and I, that's probably one of our most favorite parks. That is that is our favorite place to go for lunch. If you want to do a park, you know, a great hike, see some incredible wildlife, have a little lunch, and then hop on your jet ski, your boat, or whatever you have, and head back to the mainland.
Yeah, yep. My husband was just out there last week bringing a group out to Wild Horse Island, and they all went over on a variety of kayaks. So they had pedal kayaks and paddle kayaks, and actually, several people in the group. My husband has a broken leg, someone else in the group had a broken arm, and they can still make it out there. So it's it's worth the trip to the park, even if there's challenges involved. Yeah. Do you want to fly over to region two? Yeah, let's do it. Okay.
That covers the Missoula area and all that, central western Montana, I guess we call it.
That's the Missoula zone. So another awesome friends group is the Traveler Rest Connection. So that's another nonprofit, and they work specifically at Traveler's Rest to support it. They're a really interesting friends group because they actually have an office and a staff. That's the only Friends group in Montana State Park system that has kind of that level of operations. And they host quite a few really great events. I would recommend looking into their website to learn more for sure.
So something cool that I want to showcase that they're doing this summer is Indigenous demonstration days. So those are going to take place on Thursdays beginning in mid-June through mid-August. They don't have the time exactly nailed down yet. And I do believe it is a free event. But during these demonstration days, Indigenous artists and makers will share their traditional skills and cultural practices with visitors.
So there'll be demonstrations and hands-on activities, and I would bet probably some, you know, craft work that you could make and take home. So I think that sounds like a really cool opportunity for people to learn from Indigenous artists.
Yeah, and this state park has some fascinating history too. For those of you that are Lewis and Clark buffs, this was one of the only state parks that actually has verifiable archaeology, if you will, of that proves that the Lewis and Clark expedition camped there. So kind of neat. And some unbelievable history there. So yeah.
Yeah, I bet there is. I actually don't know that much about the specific history at that park. So that's so programs like this would be a great opportunity for me and other people to learn more.
Yeah, I used to live just like 200 yards away from that park. So I visited that one a lot. Over the years, you've heard me talk a lot about Superior Hardwoods of Montana. Yeah, I've talked a great deal about their incredible reclaimed wood from old barns, green elevators, old homesteads, even an old log flume zigzagging down a mountainside in Montana.
If there's an amazing piece of wood that can be reclaimed and turned into an unbelievable one of a kind wood floor, paneling, or well just about anything, Superior Hardwoods of Montana has found it, created it, and showed all of us right there online at superior dash hardwoods.com. They truly are artists that just happen to use wood as their canvas. And yes, I've also talked about their amazing ability to find some of the most unbelievable exotic woods from all over the world.
I was asked the other day if Superior Hardwoods of Montana ever just sold normal wood floors or paneling, or do they only sell wood products that are incredible and unusual? I had to stop and think about that question for a minute. No, not because I could not think of a case where Superior Hardwoods of Montana sold just some usual nice looking flooring or paneling. They do that a lot.
I had to think about it because the folks at Superior Hardwoods of Montana make really any piece of wood incredible and unusual. Simply because you will not find any, let me say it again, you will not find any place on earth that cares more about what they sell than Superior Hardwoods of Montana. I guess that's why they've been in business since 1977. It's a a passion of everyone at Superior Hardwoods of Montana.
I know that because I've known these folks for, well, most of the 65 years that I've been around. So believe me when I say at Superior Hardwoods of Montana, they absolutely cannot wait to guide you through the woods. Go see them next time you're in Missoula, or why not go see them right now at superior-hardwoods.com. Superior Hardwoods of Montana. Go see them. Be sure and like, subscribe, and share this podcast. It helps us out a ton. And so many of you have been doing that a lot.
Boy, our our membership has grown tremendously. So lots of new subscribers out there. So welcome and and thank you for doing that. Now, let's welcome in this gal right here who just popped back up on your screen. Um, should we fly to region three? Yeah, let's check it out. We're gonna head south down the uh western side of the state. Let's see what we got going on in region three.
Yeah, so this is my region. Our nonprofit serves the whole state, but our office is located outside of Bozeman and Gallatin Gateway. So always really excited about Region Three stuff because I can get over there real quick. Um, so here's another big one 50th anniversary of Bannock Days. So Bannock Days is really one of the best known popular state park events. Um, probably at one of the best known, most popular state parks. So Bannock Days is super fun.
If you've never been, it's like it's on your to-do list now. So the dates for the event this year are July 18th and 19th from 9 a.m. to 5 on Saturday and 4:30 on Sunday. There is a fee associated with this. It's $5 per person or $20 per family. And my I might be incorrect. My understanding is that fee is put on by the Friends, the Bannock Association, which is another Friends group.
Um, so those funds go to help support parks budget operations, you know, and deferred maintenance, things like that. So when you're paying that fee, it's going directly back to support the park. It's free for kids under five as well. So it's just a super cool event. It brings that famous ghost town to life.
So there's a lot of historical reenactments throughout the whole weekend, period artisans, staged gun fights, which my son really likes, gold panning, wagon rides, music, every it's really fun. Yes. I have a couple notes on that one just for people to be aware of. There's very limited like cell phone service, and it's hard. I've noticed that a lot of times the vendors can't take like a credit card.
So if you wanted to go buy like a sandwich or something from a vendor, you really want to bring cash and carpooling as well. Because this is this is really a pretty popular event. So carpooling is also recommended.
Yeah, and and I always try to talk uh Megan into doing our our spooky Halloween podcast where we talk about the ghost towns of Montana. And uh last year, that for a while that was one of our most viewed podcast people really. Oh, nice. That and Megan scared the hell out of all of us for a while. Telling us about all the spooky stuff that goes on. So, anyway, it's it's fascinating. You need you need to stop in there if you can.
Yeah, if you've never been, it's it's it's a really awesome place. I have one more um event or not an event, uh a thing that I'd like to share. If we have time.
Sure.
So this is actually probably the most frequent phone call I get during the summer is how do I make a reservation for the Lewis and Clark Caverns cave tour? I think I honestly get like maybe three phone calls a week and during the summer asking me that. So I want to tell everyone about it here. But yeah, so it's it's a very, very cool place. And the coolest part is the cave. They offer cave tours. The cave tours go on May through May 1st through September 30th.
So they're going, they're going now. So you could go any day. The cost is $15 for adults, and then youth five through 14 is $10. And the tour is actually not recommended for children younger than five because it's in a cave and it's kind of long, and it's you can't really leave, you know, if you have a toddler that's having it a meltdown, it's not ideal. So five and up. Yeah. So the cave tours are I have I've done it quite a few times with different groups of people.
They're just every single time. It's you see something new, it's incredible. The geology is amazing. I am not a geologist, so I can't speak to it, but it is beautiful and super interesting in there. So there's two options. There's the classic tour. So that is, I think, around maybe a mile or two. There's actually more than 600 stairs. You have to slide down like a little otter slide, like down some rocks. They're smooth.
And there's like 300 feet of elevation game, bending, ducking, narrow passages. So it's a more a little bit more of a strenuous tour. Um, for people that maybe don't want to go that hard. There's the Paradise Tour, which is great for people with young children, or if you have claustrophobia, I definitely would recommend the this one because there are tight spaces in the standard one. And people with mobility limitations might prefer the Paradise Tour.
I do want to say it's not uh accessible, unfortunately. There's steps and just a few steps and a, you know, they're relatively steep. So I just want people to be aware of that.
I don't know if they still do this, Megan, but one when I was on the tour of it years ago, and my kids to this day, they're adults now, they still talk about it. Where they they will uh put a flashlight on these rocks, then they'll shut the lights off in the cave and the lot the rocks are still glowing and it just blew me away.
That's cool. Yeah, I think I remember that, but I don't know why that happened.
Yeah, yeah, there's something that's in those rocks that holds that light. Yeah, if if anyone in your family or people you're traveling with are into geology and caves, you've got to see this thing. It's amazing.
It's gorgeous gorgeous. And you can just look up the pictures and just to get an idea, but it's it's cooler than you can imagine, I think, if you if you've never been there.
So yeah, but make a reservation, right?
Yeah, oh yeah, that was my important point. So to make a reservation, you can call me and I'll walk you through it if you want. But the easier way to do it is to go to I'm gonna pull it up. So you want to just pull up fwp.mt.gov dash state parks. And then you'll be able to scroll down and see the state park you want. From there, when you find Lewis and Clark Caverns, you can click on make a reservation. And it might be like a teeny tiny bit misleading.
It might seem like you're going there to only make camping reservations, but that's where you go to make your cave tour reservations. Right. I just want people to know that because that is like seriously the most common question I get because I think it's a little tricky for people to find it. But you got to go through the State Park official website, find that make reservation, click it, and then click on tours, and then you'll be good to go.
Right. And that's the only way you can get the reservation is doing that online.
I believe you could potentially call and do one through the office, but I would recommend doing it the you know, the computer way is typically more direct.
Yeah. So anyway, do that. And now, as far as reservations go throughout the summer, if you want to camp in that good idea to make reservations, correct?
Yeah, definitely.
They fill up.
That's they do fill up. So the parks typically are really quite full during the summer, like you were saying, Dale. Visitation has really been very, very steady since COVID. And people, I think they got out during COVID, and you know, some of them did it did the outdoor wreck thing for a year or two and kind of let it fade. But I think a lot of people really stuck with being outside in Montana because it's awesome.
So maybe a silver lining to COVID is people realizing how amazing our state parks and outdoor spaces are.
One little tip I'll give you that I've done this, but you gotta be super flexible. But if uh you you didn't make reservations, but you're going by and you go, Man, I'd love to stay there. It it's okay to go check because sometimes people, for whatever reason, don't show up or that. And so if you don't mind sharing a space, a lot of times the the park managers can can try to work you in. So you know, do check, but don't rely on that. But you you can get in.
In fact, I've done that several times and and met some really great people because I had the motor home, but they put me with some tent campers, and so you get to know other people. So if you don't mind sharing a little, it it's it's fun. In fact, one group we we met, they were a group of bartenders that was traveling the state, so we fed them, and then they set up a little bar and were our bartenders.
It was that's a good that's a pretty good deal. You stumbled around the like upon the right group.
Yeah, I did.
But it was really fun. They made us all kinds of exotic cocktails, and it was it was really fun.
Oh man, I want to get lucky like that. So, yes, I agree. And I've done that before too. A lot of times I'll just like if I'm driving somewhere and I need to stop and camp, I'll pull into a state park and try to find uh the sites that have the reservation ticket that's a two days old and there's no one there. I believe there's a oh, I wish I looked it up before this podcast, but there is a certain amount of time if a reservation is not filled, that it will become open again.
Um, I will also say this though. So definitely your the strongest recommendation I have is to make a reservation in advance. However, there are a lot of walk-up sites actually. I don't want to say all, but I'm pretty sure close to all of the campgrounds at State Parks have a couple sites that are only walk-up. So you can always play that campaign.
But they're they're they're kind of first come, first serve. Yep.
First come, first serve. And I also wanted to highlight a new accessible campground that was built last year. Um, so last summer we worked with a really lovely donor, just a really wonderful person who helped fund new ADA compliant accessible campsite right at Yellow Bay State Park, which is on Flathead Lake. This campsite is like the it's in the perfect spot. It has it's a paved campsite so people who are in wheelchairs can have that experience of camp of tent camping.
You'll be able to bring your wheelchair right up to your tent, and then that paved campsite leads into a paved trail that goes all the way to the waterfront and all the way to the adaptive kayak dock. So I wanted to showcase that as a really great adaptive camping option. That one is first come, first serve, which I think does present a problem. But if you can call ahead and get some more information, that can help you uh plan your trip. But I wanted to showcase that.
That State Park got a really great facelift last year, so it's super accessible. It's really lovely. In addition to that accessible campsite, there's three brand new campsites that are drive up, but they're really separated and it feels like backcountry camping right on Flathead Lake. So that's that's a cool one I wanted to showcase.
Yeah. So I you're in this podcast, the the podcast description, which is, you know, if you if you're on YouTube, you look it, and just below that, you'll see the thing that says, you know, read more. It gives like a tiny description of the podcast. But if you click read more, then it has the whole description of what the podcast is about. And in there, I always put links to all this stuff we're talking about. So go there and you can get links to all this stuff.
Now, before I let you go, Megan, I we we are gonna have you back to talk about one of the newest state parks out there. And I'm real excited about this because you're gonna bring some people with you and tell us about what we're gonna we're gonna do there because this is this is really cool.
Yeah, I'm super excited about this too. So this is probably our biggest project today, Judith Landing State Park. We worked with American Prairie two years ago now to donate that park to the state. The park is open to the public. Um, and we are currently working with a partner to fund a really uh rich research project there. So currently, the work that's going on at the park is focused on research and preliminary site development.
So I just want to let people know that they can definitely visit the park, they can check out the entire space, walk around, but they should prepare be prepared for very limited accommodations. It's just not developed in that way yet. So there will be trails and camping in the future, but not this year. There is a porta potty and there is a parking lot, and you can go check it out, but be prepared for that.
Um, so so I just wanted to let people know what to expect physically at the park this year.
But your reach, your researchers, they started doing some studying on this. They found some pretty incredible stuff, didn't they?
Yeah, they found some amazing things, and I am still waiting for the research to be kind of wrapped up and consolidated in a digestible manner so I can learn more. Um, but yeah, they've been doing a lot of research. A big focus area is on the indigenous history there, but there is just incredible history there. There's Ferdinand Hayden's first dinosaur discovery, there is Lewis and Clark, there is the first Montana military outpost, there is the PN Ranch history.
There's just like deep, deep, deep, rich history. They're still building standing. So we're doing a lot of work to find to really tell the full story. And in the near future, we are gonna come back to the Montana Outdoors podcast with Canon, who's the park manager. And we're hoping to also bring in some of the researchers to just give us a really deep dive on what they've learned through their research project this year.
Yeah, this is exciting. For those of you that really love Montana State Parks and just Montana history, I hope you'll join us when when we're able to do this podcast. It'll be later this summer. And I think you're gonna love it. It's this is this is an exciting state park that I know the State Parks Foundation, you guys have done a lot of work to to bring this to where it is so far.
Yeah, we're really proud of this park. You know, I I'm gonna like put it on my gravestone potentially. I'm very proud of the work that's going on there. And it's just really cool to be a part of it, to have like a tiny little sliver in that incredible history is a really big honor.
Now, if folks want to help out the State Park Foundation, because this is not something that, you know, is is covered by tax dollars or any of this. It's it's all just a nonprofit. You guys rely on the donations. How do we help you guys out? And what kind of help could we give you?
Yeah. Thank you for asking. You're right. So we are a tiny, tiny little baby nonprofit. Um, our we are not state funded, we're not federally funded, we have no real consistent revenue besides donations and our license plate income. So you'll notice across Montana there's all different decorative license plates, and those are typically tied to a nonprofit or something that gains financial support through the license plate fee.
So that's a great way to support state parks, is by having the Montana State Parks license plate. Um, the other awesome thing is making donations. We really appreciate donations to help us sustain our operations, um, which are extremely low-key. We are like very low overhead. We really are just focused on creating opportunities for us to fund state park projects. So we don't do a lot of extras. We don't have like galas and things like that.
We basically take the money that we earn through donations and grants and put it right back into the parks. So if people are interested in supporting us, a donation goes a long way.
Yeah, and I've I've got a link in the the podcast description for you to be able to donate. I hope you will because the the Montana State Parks Foundation, I'm gonna brag on you just a little bit, is you guys really are the ones that are responsible for you know making the estate parks more than just a place to camp or have a picnic. You guys bring out all the special history and all the cool stuff that that comes out of it. And uh I think that's very special.
And it's it's extremely special because it's done by and paid for by people that just love where we live. So yeah. I hope all of you'll give uh give some money and and help out, and then be sure and catch us for our next podcast later in the summer when we talk about Judith Lanting. That's gonna be pretty cool. Anything else, Megan, you want to tell us about before we let you go?
Yeah, I want to do a quick a quick plug on our photo contest. So every year we do a photo contest and the winner, the winning photos are included in our calendar. We send the calendar out to our donors and maybe we'll have some available for sale this year, but it's a fun way for people to use their creative talents to support state parks. Submissions are due on September 30th. And yeah, just any photos that you take of state parks that are cool, feel free to send them in.
And we might pop them on our calendar.
All right. And again, when you when you go to the link that I have in the podcast description for the Montana State Parks Foundation, there you can find all that other great information. So do it and have some fun with it. And I hope I see a bunch of you out there at State Parks. I'm a I'm a state park freak and a geek about it. I love 'em. So you you'll run into me out there quite often with uh grandkids and stuff in tow, but it it's it's a they're wonderful state parks.
Probably the most unique in the country you'll find. And it's because of this lady right here and and her donors and board that that make it what it is. So I hope uh I hope you guys will uh help her out. Anything else you want to tell us before you go?
No, I think just uh thank you so much for having me on, and I hope to see everyone out at the parks this summer too. I too am a park freak and geek, so we'll be there together, Dale.
Yeah, yeah. We'll be out there and uh it's a it's just a wonderful way to see our wonderful state and get to know Montana because you you get to stay right in the middle of it in the most historic and beautiful places of our state. So do it. And uh Megan, thanks again for spending time with us and for all you do and for all the that all your volunteers do for our state parks. And I can't wait to see you later this summer to learn all about Judith Landing.
So till we talk again, Megan, thank you very much. Thank you. Have a good one. And there you have it, folks. That tells you all about it. Make sure you hit that podcast description and go to those links and learn all about it. Until we talk again, folks, be safe out there, be good to each other, and we'll see you next time here on the Montana Outdoor Podcast.
Thanks for watching the Montana Outdoor Podcast. You know there's no way we could do this podcast without the incredible support of sponsors like Superior Hardwoods of Montana, home of the largest selection of in-stock, high-end wood products and flooring in the western United States. Let them guide you through the woods at superior-hardwoods.com. And of course, Rocky Mountain Truck and Trailer in Missoula, home of ball snow clouds and accessories, and Diamond C trailers and accessories.
Go see them on the web at rmtte.com. We'd love to hear what you thought of this week's podcast. When you get a minute or two, shoot us an email and tell us your thoughts. Same goes if you have any questions for Rigger or this week's guest. Just send your questions or comments to downrigger at MontanaOutdoor.com. Hey, don't forget we should be dropping a new podcast this next Saturday. Until then, gang, we hope to see you soon out in Montana's great outdoors.