Our history is one
of people and land.
Few things make travel more exciting than learning the stories of the land you visit.
Whether your interests lie within the stories of the Native American heritage at State Parks like Madison Buffalo Jump, or Chief Plenty Coups, the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, Travelers’ Rest, or Missouri Headwaters, or Montana mining and ghost town history at Bannack State Park and Elkhorn State Park, Montana has a story, and a state park, for any and every type of history lover.
Get to know the history of
the place we call Home.
These state parks provide information about the people who have called Montana home, the towns they built, and the work that they cultivated. Through these histories, while visiting our state parks, and through your travels, we hope you catch glimpses of the most important character: Montana itself.
MONTANA historical
state parks INTERACTIVE MAP
Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park Get Directions to Park Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park is located off of I-90, 24 miles from Butte, MT. Situated on top on a hillside of the Anaconda Pintler Mountain Range foothills, you can see this state park from miles around. As a monument to the nation's period of industrialism, particularly when viewed i…
Bannack State Park Get Directions to Park Bannack State Park is the location of Montana's first major gold discovery, founded in 1862 this historic …
Chief Plenty Coups State Park Get Directions to Park Chief Plenty Coups State Park is named for the last traditional chief of the Crow Nation, Chief Plenty Coups (Aleek-chea-ahoosh, meaning "many achievements"). Plenty Coups was a man of war - and then a man o…
Clark's Lookout State Park Get Directions to Park Clark's Lookout State Park is located one mile north of Dillon, above the Beaverhead River. Established December 23, 1985, Clark's Lookout is set along the historic Lewis and Clark trail. Click Here T…
Council Grove State Park Get Directions to Park Council Grove State Park marks the site of the 1855 council between Superintendent of Indian Affairs and Territorial Governor of Washington, Isaac Stevens and m…
Elkhorn State Park Get Directions to Park Traveling along gravel secondary roads outside of Boulder, you'll find the once thriving town of Elkhorn, now one of the smallest state parks in the state. Click Here To Access a Map!…
First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park Get Directions to Park Located South of Great Falls and just outside of Ulm, First Peoples Buffalo Jump is one of the largest buffalo jumps in the United States and is known in the archeology community as the most significant buffalo jump in the world! Evidence suggests that this site, also known as the Ulm Pishkin,…
Fort Owen State Park Get Directions to Park Travel 25 minutes south of Missoula, MT and into Stevensville, MT to Fort Owen State Park. Here you will find the remains of the oldest pioneer settlement in the State of Montana. A beautiful place to visit, however, Fort Owen State Park is currently under major construction.
Giant Springs State Park Get Directions to Park Located just outside of Great Falls lies Giant Springs State Park. Originally discovered by Lewis & Clark in 1805, Giant Springs is one of the largest freshwater springs in the country. Come marvel at this day-use park's remarkable features and view the variety of birdlife. Take part in t…
Granite Ghost Town State Park Get Directions to Park Once a thriving 1890s silver boomtown, Granite Ghost Town State Park, is exactly what its name suggests, the remains of a mining town from the 1800s. I…
General Park Fee Information
Montana residents in a vehicle with valid Montana license plates are allowed to enter State Parks for free. Camping, tour, special event and other fees still apply.
Nonresident visitors are required to pay day-use fees usually from $2 to $5. Nonresidents can also purchase annual Montana State Parks Passports for unlimited use. Passports are $25 for the first vehicle and $20 for additional vehicles. They can be purchased at any state park, regional Fish, Wildlife and Parks office or online at Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks