Alaska road trip

A hiking trail starting just outside the Ryan Island Park meanders through the town connecting other parks along the Missouri River.

The two main highlights of this portion of the trip was, first, the wonderful drive from the town of Glendive westward to Great Falls. Some may differ, but I found it to be very scenic; there was little traffic so I was able to pull over when necessary to capture a photo. I was definitely in my happy place.

The other highlight was the falls of the Missouri River. There are five of them within about a 10-mile span. Not all the falls are accessible. Also, five dams control the water flow. Check out the three falls we visited.

Ryan Dam controls the Great Falls, also called the Big Falls. Ryan Island Park offers spectacular views of the falls since it is located in the middle of the Missouri River, accessed by a suspension bridge.

This and the next several shots were taken on the remote Montana State Highway 200 heading west from Glendive to Great Falls. Three hundred fifty miles and five and a half hours.

Black Eagle Falls is best viewed by visiting the Black Eagle Memorial Island. Clark, upon discovery of the falls, named it Upper Pitch.

The Missouri River begins its journey in the Rocky Mountains at Three Forks, Montana, just west of Bozeman. It travels 2,341 miles to St Louis, Missouri, where it merges with the Mississippi. The Missouri River is the longest in the U.S., and the Mississippi is the second longest.

Continue the Alaska road trip to Alberta, Canada

View the previous page (North Dakota)

View more locations of Montana

Return to the Alaska road trip home page

Exit