This 3-Day Montana Road Trip Is a Paleontologist’s Dream

The first stop on this weekend road trip is the Montana Dinosaur Center in Bynum, where you can personally dig for dinosaur fossils in one of the center’s active dig sites. If you choose to dig, you’ll need to schedule your expedition ahead of time and plan accordingly. Half-day, full-day, and even multi-day site tours are available. If you don’t have the time or desire to dig, that’s not a problem. Walk around the museum and learn more about the history of the region with the various exhibits. Make sure you also stop by the first-ever baby dinosaur fossils discovered in North America and the world record Seismosaurus model.

You won’t want to skip Malta's Great Plains Dinosaur Museum on this Montana road trip. This stop will teach you more about the creatures that roamed this region and what life was like for these giants. If you time your visit just right, you can attend one of the many events at this museum, as most are designed for individuals of all ages.

After visiting the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, I recommend you hop in your car and travel another 90 minutes to the Fort Peck Hotel or even a nearby vacation rental, where you can rest and relax before the next leg of your journey begins.

Inside the Fort Peck Interpretive Center, you’ll find all types of unique displays, including a nearly complete skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus Rex discovered only 20 miles away. Of course, this is just the beginning of the impressive exhibits, as you can spend your morning observing displays featuring marine reptiles from the ancient Cretaceous Sea, wildlife found in the area, and the history of the Fort Peck Dam, the largest hydraulically-filled dam in the U.S.

One destination that must be on every dinosaur lover’s bucket list is Makoshika State Park in Glendive. This is the largest state park in Montana and one of the most remarkable. Here, you’ll find stunning badland formations that are certainly worth exploring. Not to mention, this state park is known for the discovery of more than 10 different dinosaur species. I recommend you spend an entire day or multiple days exploring this park, especially the Hell Creek Formation and the visitor center, where you can see a Triceratops skull.

Cains Coulee Campground is tucked away within Makoshika State Park and is a great place to spend the night on this dinosaur-themed road trip in Montana. Here, you’ll find both developed and primitive campsites, with fire rings, picnic tables, and restrooms available in the developed area of the campground. Staying here allows you to explore Makoshika State Park until the sun goes down, and as soon as the sun rises, before you continue on your journey.

For the last stop on our road trip, you'll need a sturdy pair of hiking boots. The Diane Gabriel Trail is a loop trail that's less than one mile long and begins in the Cains Coulee Campground. The trail is named after Diane Gabriel, a paleontologist who completed extensive work in Makoshika State Park. As you hike, you’ll climb to a Hadrosaur vertebra that was left on the hillside. If you tackle this trail in the summer, stop and admire the wildflowers on your way. Just watch out for rattlesnakes!