The Montana Hi-Line.gif)
 |
| Sunset
Over the Distant Sweetgrass Hills |
The
Montana Hi-Line is one of the more fascinating places in
Montana. To me at least, the Montana Hi-Line region symbolizes
what Montana is all about – rolling prairie, endless
fields of wheat, large herds of cattle, towering mountains
in the distance and remoteness – all tucked under
the beautiful “Big Sky” that Montana is singularly
famous for.
For
those who aren’t familiar with the term, the “Montana
Hi-Line” refers to the northern part of Montana that
is adjacent to US Highway 2 – or more or less about
the first 100 miles of Montana that lies south of the Canadian
border. The full Hi-Line in Montana stretches from the North
Dakota to the Idaho border, for a distance of more than 650
miles. A trip down the Hi-Line is, due to this distance,
a long one. (See the Hi-Line
Maps page for maps of the region).
However, like most Montana residents, when we talk about
the Hi-Line, we generally mean that part of Montana on US
Highway 2 that is between the North Dakota border on the
east side and the Rocky Mountain Front on the west side.
It is between these two points that a visitor to Montana
truly sees what the Hi-Line is all about.
I first
visited the Montana Hi-Line region way back in 1996 when
I was moving to Idaho from the Midwest, deciding to
take the long way in order to explore this area of Montana
I had never visited before. Upon my permanent return to Montana
in 1999, I’ve visited the Hi-Line several times – mainly
passing through it on the way to someplace to generally either
go hunting or to gather information and pictures for this
website.
 |
| The
"Big Sky" of the Montana Hi-Line |
However,
despite my many trips along the Hi-Line, I had never really
taken the time to truly explore this region.
That all changed in June of 2004 when I woke up one day,
realized I had about 2 weeks with nothing in particular planned,
and had a peculiar urge to get out into the open prairie,
away from the mountains for a bit (I live in Kalispell).
So, the next day I hopped in my truck and began a 2 week
voyage down the Montana Hi-Line to the North Dakota border,
and then back again – with no particular plan or schedule.
The weather during this trip was typical June weather in
Montana, a combination of sun, rain, clouds, heat and cold.
Lodging consisted of a mix of sleeping in the bed of my truck,
camping in my tent and hanging out in a comfortable hotel
in Glasgow while waiting out the rain.
The following pages in this section will cover this trip
in detail, and provide information about the Hi-Line, including
its history, its towns and the areas potential future. Several
hundred photographs have also been posted, too, so be sure
to visit the Hi-Line
Photo Gallery section to browse the
complete assortment.
It should
be stated up front that this is not a true “travel
guide”. If you are looking for where to grab the best
cheeseburger, to locate the best hotel or where to find the
latest and greatest shopping opportunities, you won’t
find this information here. Instead, these pages will be
a mix
of my
own observations
and thoughts about the Hi-Line area, coupled with historical
and factual information – all of which is illustrated
by photographs. As such, it is my hope that anyone who has
the time and patience to read through this entire section
(and it is long), should walk away with a good idea of what
things are like today along the Montana Hi-Line.
 |
| Downtown
Havre |
As for
the organization of this section, frequent visitors to
Big Sky Fishing.Com will notice some differences. For
those with too much time to kill, it would be a good idea
to read through these pages in order. These pages cover
the Hi-Line in order, going from West to East – starting
out near Cut Bank and ending on the North Dakota border (with
a few side trips thrown in, too).
I don’t claim to be a professional Montana historian.
So, if you find some factual errors, by all means, let me
know. As much of this section of the site is a reflection
of my own views and observations, too, it is also quite likely
that someone out there may not necessarily agree with some
of what is presented in this section. If that happens to
be you, feel free to drop me a line too – just be nice
about it. And lastly, if you like this section, by all means,
let me know, too. (contact
information)
Well,
with that out of the way, let’s get started
exploring the Montana Hi-Line.
Next Page : Montana Hi-Line History
Top
of Page
|
