With More Than 11,000 Acres To Explore, Montana’s Largest State Park Is Worthy Of A Multi-Day Adventure

It's safe to say that most Montanans have heard of Makoshika State Park. After all, at over 11,500 acres, it's our largest state park (by far). But it's also safe to say that most Montanans have never visited—because unless you live on the east side of the state, it's quite a trek.

Makoshika State Park is a 3.5-hour drive from Billings, a six-hour drive from Bozeman, and over eight hours from Missoula. But if you've ever wondered if this park is worth visiting, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, you should pack your camping gear and stay for a couple of days.

Makoshika State Park sits on the outskirts of Glendive, which has a population of about 5,000.

The park does have the highest visitation in the region—it gets over 125,000 visitors every year.

But no matter when you go, a crowd is the last thing you can expect to see at Makoshika.

Fortunately, those 125,000 visitors do not all arrive at once—and there's plenty of space here to enjoy some solitude.

This place is known for being chock full of dinosaur bones.

A visitor center at the park entrance features several fossils, including a triceratops skull.

To the Lakota tribe, Makoshika meant "bad earth" or "bad land."

The Lakota spent a great deal of time here. Their assessment was correct—you won't see badlands like this anywhere else in Montana.

The park offers camping in designated areas, which you can reserve online ahead of time.

This place may be rustic, but for campers, it has a lot of amenities: both flush and vault toilets, grills and fire rings, picnic tables, a group-use shelter, and even an outdoor amphitheater.

The most popular things to do here are go hiking, biking, photography, and wildlife viewing.

The visitor center is a great place to start—you'll learn a lot about the local history before you even begin to explore.

Makoshika State Park is a diamond in the rough, and we're lucky to have it here in the Treasure State.

So... what are you waiting for?

Have you been to this otherworldly state park?