'Montana's First And Best-Known State Park' Is A Breathtaking Limestone Wonderland With Camping And Trails

Montana, known as the "Big Sky State," is famous for its mountains, plains, and, yes, its expansive and dramatic skies. But have you ever wondered what it's like below the ground? Turns out, this state is home to one of the northwest's largest network of limestone caves. This snaking underground network is found at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, TripAdvisor's number one Montana state park. Not only is it the best-known, it's also the oldest. Originally, it was a national monument created by Theodore Roosevelt in 1908. But in 1935, it was converted to a state park at the behest of locals. 

Tourists and residents alike enjoy the eponymous cave system, mountains, forests, and hills. With guided tours, hiking trails, campsites, and a visitor center with a cafe and a gift shop, the park is great for a Montana adventure. Lewis and Clark Caverns are also only about 45 minutes from Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), where you can pick up a rental car, making the caverns an easy add-on to your next Southwest Montana adventure. Entry to the park costs $8 per vehicle, unless you're a Montana resident who has purchased an annual state parks fee.

Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park's underground limestone wonderland is easily the park's most well-known feature. They're in the name, after all. In order to see this breathtaking and vast network, visitors have to participate in a guided tour. Exploring the caves by yourself isn't allowed here, but there are three different tours available. The Classic Cave Tour takes visitors on a challenging, two-mile trek to see some of the caves' most spectacular limestone formations and a colony of bats. The Paradise Tour, on the other hand, is the perfect activity for families. This tour only covers a mile and avoids many of the more difficult features of the Classic Tour. Naturally cool with a stable, year-round temperature of around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, this is a great way to escape the summer heat. Only 20 minutes away from Three Forks, Montana's peaceful city in the Rockies, this park would also be a great stop in a Montana roadtrip.

Although both of these tours are only available from May to September, the park does offer limited winter access during the month of December. This is the Candlelight Tour, and as its name suggests, the guide takes visitors through the caverns by the light of a candle lantern. This is a great opportunity to see the area's beloved bats while they hibernate. No matter which tour visitors choose to embark on, they'll see magnificent stalactites, stalagmites, columns, and helictites.

Just note that the park is serious about protecting one of its most important fauna, the bat, from white-nose syndrome. Make sure that the clothes you wear here have not been inside a cave for at least five years, as any residue can spread the disease.

While the eponymous caverns of this Montana state park can't be experienced without a guided tour, the area outside is available for personal exploration. There's just as much to see above ground as there is below. With 10 miles of trails across the park's 3,000 acres, hikers will be able to see breathtaking mountain views, trek through pine forests and along the Jefferson River, and see the sprawling sky that gave Montana its moniker. The most popular route here, according to AllTrails, is the Danmore Gypsum Mine, Middle View, and Eastside Trail Loop, which takes visitors on a 6.3-mile hike from the campground all around the park, passing by the 5,565 foot Dolomite Knob.

Camping is also available here. There are 40 campsites in the park plus RV hookups, along with cabins and a wall tent to rent. All reservations can be made online. While the caverns are closed for most of the winter, the campground and hiking trails are available to enjoy no matter the season. But with winters in this area often getting into negative temperatures with snowstorms, it might be better to rent a cabin or visit during the warm summer months.

One of the busiest trails in America might be in this state, but Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is still a hidden gem with only around 50,000 visitors each year, which is small compared to the millions that the most-visited national parks receive. With places like Lewis and Clark Caverns, it's easy to see why Montana is considered a top destination for nature enthusiasts and adventure seekers.