With time remaining in my vacation, and a desire to camp more, I decided to show Rebecca some places of interest in Montana that I was aware of. The first place that I took her was Caribou Campground. We traveled northwards on US Hwy 95 to Bonners Ferry, Idaho and US Hwy 2. At Bonners Ferry we cut east towards Troy, Montana. Before crossing the Yaak River, we headed north on NF 92. We travelled past Yaak Falls, taking a moment to grab a quick stretch and some photos of the falls. We continued in a northerly direction and passed through the town of Yaak, Montana. Not requiring anything at this point, we passed through and continued our journey. The road is rough in places, but it is paved the entire way, making this campground highly accessible to people.

We arrived to find the campground devoid of people or animals. We got out and explored the area, checking out the creek, determining which site we wanted to set up our camp in, and walking the short trails that were present. Having determined where we wanted to set up camp, we proceeded in establishing our home for the evening. Once this was accomplished, we went and soaked in the creek for a little while. We had tried to find a way down to the river, but foolishly walked upstream rather than across the road. Rebecca found that we could have accessed the river with some degree of ease had we approached it from the culvert from which the creek passed under the road. At any rate, we managed to get cooled down and relaxed in the creek, so it was all good. Bugs forced us into the tent a bit before sunset. While we did have bug spray, it seemed to act as more attractant than repellant.

The night was a perfect temperature and we slept quite peacefully. Clouds had gathered overhead, and the occasional pitter patter of drops on canvas added to our evening’s ambiance. The rain continued sporadically as we broke camp and ate breakfast, but our timing was near impeccable, and everything was accomplished before the rain really came down. From Caribou Campground, we continued on NF 92 and eventually reached Lake Koocanusa. We traveled across the bridge over the lake and made our way on MT Hwy 37 to Eureka, Montana. We caught up on important conversations while we had cell service and then made our way to Whitefish, Montana on US Hwy 93.

After lunch in Kalispell, Montana, and a quick discussion about how much time we had, we decided to drive through the Seeley Swan Valley. We had hoped to find a campground by one of the lakes to spend the evening at, but it would appear that many people had the same idea as us and the campgrounds were pretty full. With a stroke of inspiration, I determined that we could make it to Skalkaho Falls and then try to find somewhere to camp in that area. With renewed purpose, we traveled southwards. We found a bite to eat in Missoula, Montana, at the Greek Pastry Shop. The food was great and I think that this might be a very popular eatery as there were a lot of patrons and many carryout orders going out the door.

With full stomachs, we drove south to Hamilton, Montana. We left US Hwy 93 and headed east on MT 38. The road turns to gravel after a short while and becomes littered with potholes and washboards. I carefully navigated the road to the waterfall. There, we enjoyed the flow of the water down the side of the mountain, burbling and gurgling over the rocks and fallen detritus before passing under the road and out of sight. Having taken some photos and properly oohed and aahed, we continued on our quest to find a campground for the night.

Nearing dark, we came across Crystal Creek Campground. This campground was empty and we had our pick of the three sites available. Hastily setting up camp, we got a few moments to enjoy the silence and serenity of this campground before thunder and lightning began going off dozens of miles to the south of us. We waited for the storm to get closer, but it never really did. Content with the show nature provided us, we retired to bed. During the course of the night, clouds gathered above and rain fell upon us once again. When we awoke, we were able to eat and break camp during a small pause in the rain. We had barely got into the car and started moving towards Anaconda, Montana, when the rains began to fall more steadily.

As we exited the mountains, the rains stopped again and we were allowed unrestrained visual access to the mountains south and west of Anaconda. I wanted to drive to Anaconda to show Rebecca the smoke stack there. The Anaconda smoke stack is quite large and impressive. It is visible from quite a ways and just dominates the landscape.

We traveled through Anaconda and continued to Butte, Montana. I told Rebecca that I wanted to show her the “Our Lady of the Rockies” statue, but then I also asked if she had ever seen the “Butte hole” and this got quite the laugh going once she realized that I was making a serious jest. She had not seen the “Butte hole”, so we were going to get to view two things in Butte. Of course, the “Butte hole” is actually the Berkely Pit. We hit I-15 north and found a point of interest pullout to get photos of the statue on top of the continental divide and find out more information about the Berkley Pit and copper mining in the area. The Berkley Pit is not as visible as it was the last time I was in Butte as it appears the mine is an active site again. Satisfied with pictures and knowledge gained, we set forth to make it home before dark.

The three days, two evenings that we spent traveling would have been much harder to afford were it not for the excellent and free campsites that we had been able to find. Our biggest expense was food and gas, and in Montana, gas is at least a dollar cheaper than fuel in Washington. With a little more planning, we could have kept food costs even lower, but we only ate out three times, so it could have been much more expensive. I believe that this trip was less than $200 and it just goes to show that you do not have to spend a ton of money to enjoy the outdoors and see points of interest throughout our area. If you can rough it a little and are happy with just a flat plot of land and a pit toilet, you can find very affordable ways to travel. Overall, it was a great weekend out, with only the wildfire smoke as a negative part of the experience.

If you want more content, give me a follow on Instagram at: overnightadventuresblog
If Facebook is your thing, here is my page: https://www.facebook.com/overnightadventuresblog/
More videos to come on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/@OvernightAdventuresVlog
And finally, if you would like to help support my travels and this blog, here is my patreon link:
https://www.patreon.com/OvernightAdventures

Disclaimer: The information contained in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. The author of this blog makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability of the information contained in this blog for any particular purpose. The author of this blog will not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of the use of or reliance on the information contained in this blog.

© 2024 Isbell Productions. All rights reserved.