Paths of distinction: MT Dinosaur Trail, Bookstore Trail & Great Wide Open
Museum of the Rockies, Photo by Colleen Padilla
This year marks the 20th Anniversary of The Montana Dinosaur Trail, a self-guided, fourteen-stop journey with exhibits, programs and field digs across Montana. Dinosaur fossils are prevalent in Montana. In fact, some of the country's most important discoveries and renowned paleontologists are from Montana, including "Montana's T. rex," found near Fort Peck Lake in 1997. It's one of the most complete T. rex specimens ever found, and the skeleton is on display at Museum of the Rockies (MOR) in Bozeman.
MOR is also home to the world's most extensive collection of T. rex and Triceratops specimens, including a rotating exhibit, "SUE: The T. rex Experience," a unique, full-sensory, multimedia show with full-scale casts of SUE and the T. rex nemesis, the Triceratops. You can read more about the trail on our blog.
Elk River Books, Livingston
Speaking of trails, our neighbors, Visit Southwest Montana, created the Montana Bookstore Trail. One of my favorite fun facts is that Montana has the most independent bookstores per capita of any other state. (Livingston alone has six and more writers per capita than New York City!) These bookstores are known as community gathering places, hosting book-related and other events, and promoting an open exchange of ideas. For me, bookstores are comforting. I remember my mom taking me to our local used bookstore as a kid. I could get as many books as I could read, and I would spend hours perusing the shelves.
In Montana's Yellowstone Country, stop by the Book Peddler in West Yellowstone, Country Bookshelf and Isle of Books in Bozeman, Elk River Books, Wheatgrass Books, and Conley's Books and Music in Livingston, and Beartooth Books in Red Lodge.
Beartooth Highway, Photo by Andy Austin
Finally, we encourage you to hit the road this summer and explore Montana's Great Wide Open. It's a fabulous route through Montana's Beartooths, badlands and breaks, and the itineraries get you out into some of the state's most beautiful and uninterrupted landscapes.
We're looking forward to summer fun!