Things to do / Travel Guide
Butte's Berkley Pit – the Richest Hill on Earth
This historical – and oddly appealing – attraction is one of Butte's oddest and strangely popular sites. Berkeley Pit is a former open pit copper mine located in Butte, which was actually one of the mines that allowed Butte to claim its title as the Richest Hill on Earth. Started in 1955, mining there ceased in 1982 after more than 1.5 billion tons of material had been removed. Today, however, the pit is filled with water a mile wide and over 900 feet deep. The catch: the water is heavily acidic, laden with heavy metals and dangerous chemicals such as arsenic, zinc, and sulfuric acid. Not a place for a swim, but definitely worth a visit.
Gallatin Petrified Forest
Located 17 miles from Gardiner, and part of the Gallatin National Forest, visitors will find ancient stone trees buried millions of years ago by volcanic ash in the Gallatin Petrified Forest. Unlike most petrified forests, where petrified trees are usually left in a horizontal position and transported to their location by mud and lava flows, many of the trees at Gallatin are frozen upright. More than 100 species of trees and shrubs have been identified on the 40 square miles of forest destroyed by volcanic explosions over the years. Visitors can observe the forest from a trail set up by the U.S. Forest Service, starting from the Tom Miner parking area.
Yellowstone Geysers and Hot Springs
While Old Faithful is certainly the most famous of the geyser family, there are a number of other geysers in the region that are well-worth a visit. Periodic Spring, known by locals as “the geyser,” is one with a lot of attitude. For several minutes the spring gushes dramatically from a 10-foot wide opening in the wall of Swift Creek Canyon. It then suddenly stops and the streambed, located 7,000 feet below, completely dries up. But it doesn't end there; a few minutes later the spring bursts again. No one is certain what causes the strange phenomenon, but some think it may be caused by a natural siphon from an underground lake. The spring can be reached by a narrow trail through Bridger-Teton National Forest, and is most active during the snowmelt in May and June or after heavy rains.
Madison Canyon Earthquake Area and Visitors Center
In a rather unusual memorial site, Madison Canyon Earthquake Area pays tribute to a dramatic earthquake that struck the region on August 17, 1959. In just 30 seconds a mile long land slide struck the south side of Madison River Canyon. Forty million cubic yards of rock and earth – an entire mountainside – broke loose and piled up 400 feet high against the canyons northern wall. The massive landslide caused an earthquake that measured at 7.5 on the Richter scale, lowering Hebgen lake by 100 feet and forming a new lake behind the landslide. Twenty-eight people were killed but another 250 campers in the canyon miraculously survived. Today visitors can observe the effects of the quake from several observation points and hiking trails. The visitors' center also provides information about the incident, including a slide show explaining the quake.
|
|
|