Welcome to Montana

Montana is Big Sky Country, and the name fits — it is the fourth-largest state but nearly the emptiest, with more elk, deer, and antelope than people, and skies that stretch on forever. Up in the northwest, Glacier National Park serves up alpine lakes and the jaw-dropping Going-to-the-Sun Road, while the northern gateway to Yellowstone opens into Lamar Valley, sometimes called the American Serengeti for its wolves and bison. Here is the surprise: Montana is one of the best places on the planet to dig up dinosaurs. The first dinosaur bones ever found in North America came from here, and the best-preserved dinosaur ever discovered, a mummified one, came out of the Montana badlands. It also has more river miles than any other lower-48 state, the biggest ski resort in America, and, happily, no sales tax. Below you will find every Montana map, trip, guide, and hidden gem we have.

• Nickname: The Treasure State
• State animal: Grizzly bear
• State fossil: Duck-billed dinosaur
• State bird: Western meadowlark
• State flower: Bitterroot
• State tree: Ponderosa pine