Going To The Sun Road meanders through this majestic frontier of Glacier National Park

Montana:

The last frontier of the lower 48, affectionately called Big Sky country, for good reason. I fell in love with Montana from the movies: Horse Whisperer, A River Runs Through It and River Wild. A vast, diverse state of natural beauty. Glacier National Park is by far the most scenic National Park in the lower 48. The Continental Divide runs through it, literally dividing the geographical landscape.

Bowman Lake with crystal clear water surrounded by mountains

West of the Divide, the land is mountainous, the majestic snow-capped Rocky Mountains jutting high into the sky. Forests of Tamarack, Douglas Fir and Lodgepole cover the hills. Hundreds of beautiful clear turquoise lakes hide in the beauty of the land.

East of the Divide, however, trees are few and far between. Golden hues of wheat fields and prairie as far as the eye can see are the signature. The further east near the Dakotas the land turns to high desert. The rugged landscape with monochromatic colors of brown. As one goes further southeast near Wyoming the land once again changes and becomes mountainous south of Livingston. Yellowstone National Park encroaches into Montana.

I understand why John Steinbeck fell in love with Montana. It’s a state of mind, of peace and tranquility. Coming back from my 6 month solo road trip I drove through it. I stayed for a week in Whitefish and Missoula and fell in love. I was searching for a feeling, a place I could start a new chapter in my life, a place I wanted to call home.