Clips

Summer makes me want to hit the road, and one of my favorite things to do is explore Montana. Red Lodge is just a few hours from Bozeman, so it makes a perfect overnight getaway.

Day 1: Drive: Take the scenic drive to Red Lodge, arriving midday.

Hike: It can be hard to choose a place to hike since there are so many great trails just outside of town. A few miles from Red Lodge, along the banks of the West Fork of Rock Creek, is the Silver Run Ski Trail system. These trails are pretty flat, scenic and can be linked together to create whatever length outing your family is up for. (From Red Lodge drive south and turn right on West Fork Road. Stay straight at 2.8 miles. Drive another 1.6 miles to Silver Run Road and turn left. Drive across the bridge and park.)

Explore: Stroll down Broadway and—if you have older kids—pop into the Red Lodge Clay Center to check out the newest exhibition. (redlodgeclaycenter.com) Kids of all ages will enjoy Magpie Toymakers where you’ll find toys powered by imagination—not batteries. Don’t forget a stop at Montana Candy Emporium, an old-fashioned candy shop.

Download a self-guided historic walking tour map (redlodge.com > adventure > self guided tours) and discover Red Lodge’s heritage while you walk.

Eat: End the day with dinner at the kid-friendly Red Lodge Pizza Company. (thepizzaco.com)

Day 2:
Mine the past: Follow Hwy 308 east. Just a few miles from town you’ll see the coalmines of Washoe and Bearcreek. Markers offer geologic and historic details, including the story of the Smith Mine Disaster of 1942.

Go Wild: Visit native animals at the Beartooth Nature Center, a refuge for animals that cannot be released into the wild. Meet bobcats, coyotes, bald eagles, mountain lions and other wild critters. (beartoothnaturecenter.org)

Know before you go

Find out about lodging, camping, rafting, horseback riding and a million other things to do in Red Lodge at redlodge.com.

Or contact the chamber at 406.446.1718 or 1.888.281.0625, email: rlacc59068@gmail.com or redlodgechamber.org.

Montana Parent
Summer 2009

With fall in full force and winter peaking its head around the corner, the season for hot springing has officially begun. The many hot springs—both natural and developed—in southwest Montana provide respite, relaxation and recreation for families.

One of our family’s favorite hot spots is Norris Hot Springs. This geothermal delight can be a destination in itself or a relaxing end to a day of fishing, hiking, floating or cross-country skiing. We like to load up the dogs and head for Bear Trap Canyon on the Madison River. After a mellow hike along a mostly flat trail we point the truck west to Norris Hot Springs.

The “Water of the Gods” flows from the ground and into the wooden pool where it is cooled to about 105 degrees, warm enough for a cold day soak, but not too hot for little bodies. As you are bobbing about or dunking your kids, keep an eye on the hillsides and wetlands for deer, pronghorn and moose. Eagles, hawks, Sandhill cranes, waterfowl and other birds are likely to make an appearance as well.

The folks at Norris Hot Springs will rent you a swimsuit and towel if you forget yours or if a soak in the hot springs is a last minute decision. If your kids aren’t ready to take the plunge sans floaties, they can borrow one of the life vests hanging outside the changing room.

When the kids’ tummies rumble, take advantage of the local and sustainabley grown snacks at the No Loose Dogs Saloon. You can check out the distance particular foods traveled to get there by clicking on their website. The greens are even grown on site; you can’t get more local than that.

Older kids might enjoy listening to live music while they swim. Bluegrass, acoustic tunes, alternative music, Celtic melodies or other music fill the air around the pool, and combined with a microbrew or a glass of wine, creates the perfect atmosphere for mom and dad, too.

What you need to know to go:
www.norrishotsprings.com 685.3303
.25 miles east of Norris, Mont. on Hwy 84
October-April: Wednesday-Friday 4pm-10pm, Saturday & Sunday 2pm-10pm.
$5 per person, $7 at 7 pm Thursday - Sunday to support live music.

Montana Parent
Spring 2009

When the winter winds are howling, your lips and fingers have turned blue and the mucus in your nose starts to freeze, it’s time to head inside. Sometime this winter every family needs an indoor activity day that gets them out of the house.

Museum of the Rockies has something to interest every age and enough variety to keep you busy for most of a day. Before you go, log onto their website for games and activities that will fuel your children’s excitement for a visit to the museum. To help kids get more out of their museum experience, I like to peruse the website and make a list of things we will see. The list can be used for a scavenger hunt during the visit.

Start the morning with a tour of the museum. Either call ahead to find out when the next docent-led tour is, or lead yourselves. Older kids will enjoy the Mesozoic Media Center where they can watch videos of field archaeology and interact with touch-screens that provide access to paleontological activities and information.

Younger children will appreciate a trip upstairs to the Martin Discovery Room where they can climb, slide, try on costumes and cook a meal in a log cabin.

Everyone loves the Hall of Giants and the Hall of Horns and Teeth where real fossils mingle with replicas and life-size dinos. In addition to learning about paleontology and dinosaur growth and behavior, kids can view the largest Tyrannosaurus rex skull in the world, the world’s most complete Triceratops growth series, and a massive Edmontosaurus tail with fossilized skin impressions.

From now until May 3, the “Tree Houses: Look Who’s Living in the Trees!” exhibit provides entertainment and learning for kids of all ages. Visitors are encouraged to climb through the sustainably harvested and locally milled wood of the tree houses while they look for animal clues and listen to the sounds of the forest.

Next head down to the basement to enjoy the sack lunches you brought, or across the street to a restaurant (keep your stickers and receipt for reentry).

After lunch, catch a show at the Taylor Planetarium—the 40-foot, 104-seat domed theater where you can almost touch the stars. There are a few standards, but some of the shows change throughout the year. Whether it’s astronomy, dinosaurs or Lewis and Clark, the planetarium is the perfect way to wind down a day at the museum.

What you need to know to go:
www.museumoftherockies.org 994.DINO (3466)
600 West Kagy Boulevard
Winter Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 12:30-5pm (Martin Discovery Room closes at 4:30pm).
Adults $10, Children 5-18 $7, Children 4 and under free, Seniors $9

Montana Parent
April 2009

Are we there yet?

Want a great photo of your child on the back of a bison? Then head to Helena. There you’ll find a bison (and other animals native to Montana) circling round and round just outside an ice cream parlor.

It’s the Great Northern Carousel, of course. From buffalo, bighorn sheep and grizzly bears to rabbits, fish, horses and even a dinosaur, the Great Northern Carousel is as fun for you as it is for your kids.

The 40-foot diameter, hand-carved carousel is complete with bright flashing lights and grand-sounding organ music. It consists of 37 hand-carved animals, one chariot and a spinning tub. Custom stained glass running boards depict Helena area landmarks and many Montana-native animals.

The Great Northern Ice Cream Company is connected to the carousel and serves homemade ice cream and fudge.

When you are done spinning and eating, follow the Lewis and Clark interpretive sidewalk to ExplorationWorks!. The path represents the journey of Lewis and Clark on the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, with renditions of many landmarks they encountered on their expedition. Running water, climbable rocks and cute creatures make for a fun way to learn about the expedition.

Just past the carousel is ExplorationWorks! museum of science and culture. Everything can be touched here, from a real sheep’s eye to a moving skateboard kids try to ride as it tips from side to side. Exhibits change often. “Weather You Like it or Not: The Science of Weather” will be replaced by “Tech City” around June 1.

This interactive learning center appeals to a broad range of ages. Early childhood programming is designed especially for children ages 0 – 5, and Little Sky Country has mountains to climb, discoveries to make, a slide to speed down as well as a pond and theater. Older kids can test their building skills with KEVA planks or interact with one of the many science and humanities exhibits. Check the website for Science Saturdays and other activities.

If you have time leftover your family can participate in an Alive @ 5 festival that takes place every Wednesday night from 5-9pm starting in May and continuing through September, where local venders, bands and participants take to the streets and join in on a unique downtown “block party.”

What you need to know before you go

Great Northern Town Center (all attractions)
406.457.5460, located between Getchell St and Lyndale Ave. East
gntowncenter.com

Great Northern Carousel
406.457.5353
Hours: through June 11 (call for summer hours) Sun (11am-6pm), Mon/Wed/Thur (11am-7pm), Fri (11am-8pm), Sat (10am-9pm)
Fee: $1.50 or buy10 tokens and get 2 rides free (parents can stand with kids who need assistance for free)
gncarousel.com

ExplorationWorks!
406.457.1800
Hours: Tues—Sat (10am-5pm), Sun (12-5pm)
Fee: adults ($8), seniors 65+ ($6.50), kids under 18 ($5.50), kids under 2 (free)
explorationworks.com

Montana Parent

View the remnants of an early Montana historic mining town at Elkhorn State Park. This once important silver mining town boomed from 1870 until the fall of silver prices in 1896. The Elkhorn mine lay idle from 1912 to 1916. From 1916 to 1971 the mine dumps and underground workings produced over $1.5 million. In addition to silver, gold and lead were taken from mines in the area.

During the boom, 2,500 people lived in Elkhorn, including immigrants from Scandinavia, Germany, France, Ireland and Holland. A few people still live in town and only two buildings are publicly owned: Gillian and Fraternity Halls, purportedly the most photographed ghost town buildings in the country.

As you approach the town watch for old mine tailings on the left. A forest service picnic area (on the right) has an interpretive sign. From there, drive, walk or ski up the main road.

Wander Main Street and read the interpretive signs explaining Elkhorn’s past. Because a handful of people still live there, stick to Main Street and remember only the two halls are public.

A cemetery lies on the east ridge above town. The dates on the tombstones belie the tough life of the miners and their families.

After exploring Elkhorn head northwest toward the town of Boulder. Three miles south of town is the Boulder Hot Springs Resort. The resort was built in the late 1800s to release tension in the muscles of gold miners. Today it is a bed and breakfast and conference center complete with an outdoor hot springs-fed pool, men’s and women’s indoor plunges, steam rooms and spa services.

In Boulder, there are abandoned mine tunnels that now serve as radon health mines. Radon in large doses is dangerous, but some people think a little exposure mellows chronic arthritis pain and other ailments.

Know before you go

Elkhorn State Park, 406.495.3270
http://fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_281892.aspx
From Bozeman head east on I-90 about 55 miles to Hwy 69 (just past Cardwell). North on Hwy 69 about 25 miles. Right at Elkhorn sign onto graveled Lower Valley Road and drive 3.2 miles southeast. Left on Elkhorn Forest Rd. 8 miles north to town.

Boulder Hot Springs, 31 Hot Springs Rd., Boulder, MT, 406.225.4339
www.boulderhotsprings.com
From Elkhorn drive back to Hwy 69, turn right (northwest) and drive a few miles to the Californian mission architectural-style resort on the left.

Montana Parent
December 2009