Owner’s Manual for Yellowstone Park

Steve McGann

The first couple of times that I toured Yellowstone Park I entered and departed from the Wyoming gateways. Hey, on the initial trip I was a little kid in the back seat of my grandfather’s Chevy and the second time, a clueless college kid…

The Bob Marshall Wilderness "The Bob"

Steve McGann

“... Recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain... ” These inspiring words from the 1964 Wilderness Act are a mantra for those who appreciate…

Our State Parks

Steve McGann

I recently read a news story about the American Prairie Reserve donating land to the State of Montana for establishing a State Park at the confluence of the Judith River and the Missouri. It was mentioned that this would be Montana’s 56th…

Terminated and Traumatized

Steve McGann

This opinion was contributed after our editorial deadline had passed, we included here in the Recreation section. The United States of America is being dismantled in plain sight. The new administration has authorized unelected, sometimes even…

Top 10 Walks In The Park

Steve McGann

Bozeman is surrounded by mountain ranges, rivers and creeks, and vast open farm land. Farther afield there are wilderness areas, large lakes, and state and national parks. Drive out of town in any direction and amazing natural areas are close at…

Top 10 Montana Books

Steve McGann

There is a family joke that, to get me to pay attention to something, it is necessary to put it in a list of the best, the top ten, or the classic of whatever is being considered. This is probably true, though I will not click on a catalog of…

Tap ‘er Light

Steve McGann

Last November, in a baffled state of mind, I gazed at a political map of Montana and realized the reason for one of the sparse blue sections. Hoping for some inspiration, some hope, I searched the bookcase for a biography of the most respected…

Beyond the Cold and Dark

Steve McGann

Embracing the Quiet of Winter

Been There, Done That Got The Hat

Steve McGann

The saying, “Been there, done that, got the t-shirt” mildly pokes fun at people who did stuff and, even before they could brag about it you knew about their exploits, because their t-shirt advertised it. They had been to parks, climbed…

Yellowstone Park Boundaries

Steve McGann

Yellowstone Park forms a rectangle of land in northwest Wyoming. Mostly. The Congressional Act that set aside Yellowstone as a National park listed the boundaries in miles from certain landmarks, then stipulated the meridians thus encountered. The…

Hiking Footwear

Steve McGann

The story goes that on the approach to a Himalayan climb in the late 1970s, a couple of the American climbers decided that wearing their huge waffle-stomping boots made no sense. They made the long approach hike in sneakers. At that time, exercise…

Hyalite: 50 Years in the Mountains

Steve McGann

Driving to the end of the road and walking off into the mountains is a wonderful thing. I have been doing it for a long time. There is such a sense of freedom, and something else—a bit of daring, as if it might not be quite legal. I mean, there…

Top 10 Bozeman Bike Trails

Steve McGann

We have been riding our bikes in Bozeman for many years, for pleasure and exercise, errands and commuting. The growth of our city has made this both harder and easier. It is harder, of course, because of much more traffic. I never did ride on Main…

Take a Montana Bike Trip This Year

Steve McGann

A number of years ago I rode my bicycle across Montana. During the trip, I kept notes, and on my return I composed a journal. I can’t find it. That is okay, because the experience was one I remember in great detail. The one thing I am not sure…

Top 10 Hikes Around Bozeman

Steve McGann

Someone once said; “You had better keep moving, something might be gaining on you.” They did not elaborate, but this is true. The something is The Mummy. This is a character from a series of movies, the first filmed in 1932 and the most…

Lost Dakota: Gallatin County, Montana

Steve McGann

At the southern tip of Gallatin County, there is a plot of land of eleven square miles, or about 7000 acres. The eastern border is the 111th meridian west; the northern is the 44 degree, 30-minute parallel north; the southern and western border is…

Chet Huntley: Anchoring Big Sky Part 2

Steve McGann

Read Chet Huntley: Anchoring Big Sky Part 1 here In the summer of 1970, a recently retired national news broadcaster, instantly recognizable anywhere in the country, moved to Bozeman. A native Montanan, he and his wife rented a house, and he began a…

Chet Huntley: Anchoring Big Sky Part 1

Steve McGann

Bozeman and the Gallatin Valley are beautiful landscapes. Yet, every exit from the Valley contains its own scenic delights. East over Bozeman Pass to Paradise Valley and the Absarokas, west over the Tobacco Root foothills to Homestake and Butte. But…

Musing On Adventure Lists

Steve McGann

At times it seems as if lists run our lives. Lists of chores, of errands, of work duties, groceries; calendars of meetings, on and on. But there are fun lists too. Lists for Santa, guest lists for celebrations and, of course, bucket lists. The name…