Known as 'Big Sky Country', the wide-open state of Montana stretches across the prairie of the Great Plains, borders three Canadian provinces and is the fourth largest state in the country. 'Montana' is Spanish for mountains, and indeed the state is mountainous, being traversed by the Rocky Mountain chain. However, sixty percent of the state is prairie, and its agricultural lands provide some of America's most attractive and renowned national parks, wildlife refuges, and forests.

Nature attractions in Montana include the Yellowstone National Park, the Glacier National Park, and the Bighorn Canyon, to name but a few. With more than two million acres of geysers, Yellowstone is the largest and most famous national park in the world, spilling over into Idaho and Wyoming. Smaller but no less magnificent is the Glacier Park, which covers one million acres of rugged mountain terrain, forests, waterfalls, and glaciers. Montana is an outdoor enthusiast's paradise, with a multitude of opportunities for hiking, riding, hunting, and fishing in summer and skiing in winter.

Native American culture also features high on its list of attractions, the prairies having been home to legendary tribes such as the Cheyenne, Crow, and Blackfeet. The various Reservations are strongholds of their heritage, where traditional dress is worn, rituals are performed, and arts and crafts produced. Visitors must be sure to explore the ghost towns left from the 1862 gold rush, the many museums and art galleries, and the historic buildings and battlefields of this multifaceted state.

Though most of the state is undeveloped, there are a few towns in Montana worth visiting. Billings, conveniently located near Yellowstone, is a hub of arts and culture; Butte is a former mining town with several museums dedicated to the industry; while Bozeman is a college town with some good museums and art galleries, and hosts the Sweet Pea Festival each spring.