Carter G. Walker - Moon Montana & Wyoming: With Yellowstone, Grand Teton & Glacier National Parks: Road Trips, Outdoor Adventures, Wildlife Viewing

fall in Wyoming.

The dramatic landscapes of Montana and Wyomingfrom soaring mountains and narrow valleys to sweeping plainswere carved over eons by water, wind, fire, and ice. The culture was also shaped by conflict: between those who were from here and those who were not; those who valued the land itself and those who sought its riches, which today include open space, recreational opportunities, and plain old natural beauty. Although their distinct historiesboth natural and culturalare evident everywhere, not just tucked away in dusty museums, these states continue to redefine themselves. Wyomings Tetons thrust skyward at the rate of an inch or so each year. Montanas blue-ribbon trout streams, tumbling and falling, etch themselves ever deeper into green and gold valleys. The populations are perpetually shifting too, bringing new ideas, new conflicts, new residents, and an evolving culture.

Montana is as vast as the big sky that blankets it, rich with natural resourcesfertile soil, rivers, coal, gold, forests, windand overflowing with beauty. From Glacier National Park to the Little Bighorn, its sites are enchanting, and sometimes haunting. Its communities are diverse too, with pioneer traditions embraced by new generations of transplants in cities like Whitefish, where ski bums and artists mingle with fifth-generation ranchers. Then there are tiny towns like Loma, at the confluence of the Milk and Marias Rivers, where the headline is still that Lewis and Clark camped just south of town in 1805. Montanas cities make us aware of the constant and exponential growth in the American West, while little dots on the map like Loma give us hope for its almost magical timelessness.

skiing in Montanas Snowbowl

fresh flowers at a farmers market

Yellowstones Grand Prismatic Spring

Embodied by the bucking bronco on its license plates, Wyoming is a childs cowboy fantasy come to life, with rodeos aplenty and dude ranches where even city slickers can try their hand at riding and roping. But what strikes people most about Wyoming is its authenticity. The harsh climate and isolation that make Wyoming the least populated state in the union result in an uncommon grace in its residents. Its expressed not just in the weathered creases on their faces but in the way they do business and welcome visitors. There is glitz here too, in places like Jackson Hole and Cody, but it doesnt distract from the essence of Wyoming. Those towns are but a flash of silver, the shiny buckle on a well-worn belt.

Separated by history, culture, and sometimes even politics, Montana and Wyoming are still agreeable neighbors, bound together by the forces of nature that make them so captivating.

Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park

cutthroat trout, the state fish of Wyoming.

grizzly bear in Glacier National Park

: Glacier is a hikers paradise. Head to the west side of the park to explore its beloved trails.

Visit a : From rustic to luxe, there are dude ranches across the West where guests can saddle up and ride for their supperor just ride to their hearts content.

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