Great Falls, Montana : Today.gif)
 |
| The
Restored Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul Railroad
Tower. |
Great
Falls today reflects the careful planning that
went into the creation of the town back in the 1880’s.
Virtually all streets are on a straight grid-pattern. The
main streets in the downtown are wide and easy to navigate.
Numerous parks, especially along the Missouri
River, are
spread all over town. Most streets are also tree lined – something
that so many western prairie towns have only recently discovered
the value of having.
Unfortunately, what served Great Falls so well during its
early years, is sort of hampering it today. This is the location
of Great Falls. I personally like the location of Great Falls,
as it is within an easy 1 hour drive of the scenic Rocky
Mountain Front and is spread all along the Missouri River.
However,
the changing nature of Montana’s economy,
from a manufacturing and agriculturalal economy to one based
on tourism and services, has in a way passed Great Falls
by.
Great
Falls
isn’t really located anywhere near the prime tourist
areas in Montana. Even worse, most people on their way to
the prime tourist spots of Glacier
National Park (just 3
hours away), often don’t even pass through the city – as
two of the three major roads toward Glacier (Highway 2 from
the East and Highway 287 from the South) do not go anywhere
near Great Falls. As such, Great Falls has “missed
out” on much of the tourist boom and trophy home construction
that you see in most other cities in Montana.
And
for me, that is maybe what I like about Great Falls. Above
all, Great Falls is a “real” town, not
inflated up by out-state tourist dollars. Yet, despite not
being a tourist town, Great Falls has done a very nice job
of restoring older buildings downtown (particularly the old
train stations and warehouses along the old Milwaukee Road
railroad tracks).
 |
| Duck
Pond in Gibson Park - one of many fine parks in
Great Falls |
The
extensive park system in Great Falls also is without a
doubt the BEST city park system in Montana, by far. Indeed,
Great Falls probably has more parks for a city of its size
than I’ve seen anywhere in my travel inside and outside
of Montana. These parks, besides providing handy places to
baseball and unleash the kids, are often sprawling affairs
with duck ponds, lengthy bike trails and secluded walking
trails.
Due
to the excellent planning put into Great Falls back in
the 1880’s, moving around Great Falls is generally
pretty quick and not painful. While traffic can be heavy
at times (especially in the summer) along the main thoroughfares
(particularly near the mall), it moves well enough. More
importantly, though, is that the city has done a pretty good
job of making stoplights synchronized and thus keeping traffic
moving. Really, once you figure out the town (which is pretty
simple, as it is basically a grid with a few curved thoroughfares
thrown in to confuse people), Great Falls is an awfully easy
town to get around in.
Great Falls Attractions
For
those of you who enjoy art, you undoubtedly have heard
of Charles
Russell then. Charles Russell is without question
the state’s most well known and beloved artists.
The Charles Russell Museum in Great Falls is a wonderful
place to visit should anyone like to learn more about this
artist and his unique paintings and sketches. (read
biography of Charles Russell).
Great
Falls, Montana, also has a very other interesting historical
and art centers in town. The Lewis and Clark National Historical
Trail Interpretative Center is located there – which
can provide you with as much information as you ever hope
to want about the legendary expedition of Lewis & Clark.
The Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art is also found in
Great Falls.
Great
Falls Weather
A special
note should be made about the weather in Great Falls. Even
by Montana standards, Great Falls can experience some pretty
wild weathers. It’s
location in the prairie, near the Rocky Mountains, and
near the Canadian Border sort of combine to produce
some wacky weather. During the winter, it’s not uncommon
to go from 30 below with an even worse wind-chill up to
60 degrees in a matter of days. This is due to two variables.
First, cold, Canadian air slips down into this part of
Montana effortlessly, with only a handful of barbed wire
fences blocking the way. The cold air usually isn’t
able to rise over the mountains, thus sparing western Montana
from extreme cold weather. The second factor which contributes
to extreme weather in Great Falls is the Chinook winds.
Chinook winds form when sinking air along the Rocky Mountain
front compresses as it lowers towards the plains below – and
warms the air as it sinks. Once this warm, compressed air
hits the plains, extremely high winds can form, melting
even deep snow almost overnight and threatening to blow
away anything not fully latched down.
 
Next Page
: Great Falls Hotels & Motels
Top
of Page
|
