Page 37 - Flathead Living Fall 2014

east glacier 36 st. regis 38 sWaN ValleY 40 teN laKes 42 YaaK 44
ontana is a big state. To see it, you need a car. Unlike urban areas where some people go their entire lives without learning to drive, or at
least without owning a car, driving is as much a residential rite of passage as it is a fundamental necessity here. What’s more, there are only two interstates. So to really see the state, you have to hit the smaller highways and byways, the backroads and hidden mountain passes, the capillaries that give Montana its Big Sky pulse.
There may be no greater time to explore these roads than fall, after summer’s heavy traffic
and construction have diminished but before winter has arrived. The landscape is transition- ing, with larches turning gold, deciduous trees shedding their multi-colored autumn leaves,
and the air’s crispness beckoning you to get out of the car, absorb the smells and sights, and remember just how magical this state is.
These five suggested road trips can be viewed as trips in their own right or passageways to further adventures. They take you to nearly
every corner of Northwest Montana, though they represent only a tiny sliver of the region’s road trip potential. Try one of them, or all five, or map out your own trip. Or throw out the map and just get in the car. Whatever you do, take some time this fall to hit the asphalt and explore. There’s so much to see, right here in your own backyard.
FALL 2014 | FLATHEAD LIVING 35