Beauty of the Hi-Line (Great Falls, Kalispell: car rental, rental, live)

[plantlover]

I may be visiting someone who lives in the Havre area in the next few months. I have read the posts about Havre, but could someone please go into a little more detail about the topography, interesting places to visit, etc,? What are the Bears Paw mountains like? Many thanks.

[seven of nine]

The wide openness will amaze you, how will you be traveling?

[plantlover]

I would be flying up there.

[JetMech72]

Originally Posted by plantlover

I would be flying up there.

I'm pretty sure that we don't have passenger service into Havre anymore since Big Sky Airlines folded. So you'll either be flying into Great Falls or Kalispell. Great Falls is closer, but doesn't have bus service to Havre, Kalispell might have bus service to Havre, but thats nearly 200 miles away. Car rental at Great Falls may be the better choice. You'll get to see Fort Benton, a neat town right on the Missouri, on your way up and a whole lot of prairie and farm land. You'll pass near the Highwood Mountains and near the western edge of the Bears Paw. The Rocky Boy Indian Reservation is on the western edge of the Bears Paw and has some of the most natural environment (untouched) in the Bears Paw Mountains. The other towns along Hwy. 87 are Loma, Big Sandy and Box Elder. If you've rented a hearty vehicle, you can take side-trips over to the Missouri River. A particularly nice area is at Virgille Ferry. Just north of Loma look for the signs, you can make a loop down to the ferry and come back out onto 87 at Big Sandy.

The topography of the area is what they call the Judith River Formation,,,,DINOSAUR fossil hunting is extremely popular in this area, but bone up on fossil hunting regulations before becoming a junior paleontologist. The upper strata of this area is 65 million years old, the rest of the strata has been removed by glaciation from the last Ice Age. There is a lot of bentonite in this area so be careful when it rains, when it gets wet we call this volcanic ash "Gumbo"....very sticky and greasy mud. As far as the flora, I'm not an expert in that area. The Bears Paw is your typical pine forest environment. Lots of prairie grass and sagebrush in the badlands.

[Dynastar]

There's no bus or air service into Havre at the moment, although air should be returning sooner or later. I'd bet you're flying into Great Falls.

[seven of nine]

Take heed to the information about the sticky heavy mud. I was warned but until I saw it i did not appreciate it. A trip into Canada since it is so close might be an idea since you are traveling from the south. Good Luck!