Big Free Camping in the Big Sky State

Montana license plates may well bear the slogan, "Big Sky Country," the state has struggled--and continues to--with an appropriate slogan. More on that in a minute. Happily, the state is a big place, and it offers some outstanding boondocking locales for those who travail those long miles.

With 145,000 square miles of land--and an average of only 6 folks on each of those square miles--might explain the experience of one tourist. On being chatted up by a local, the visitor says, "My, you folks are sure friendly out here." The local thought for a minute and responded, "It's not that were all that friendly, we're just lonesome!"

Up in the lonesome upper central part of the state, 26 miles northwest of Winifred (population 151) lies Judith Landing. Shaded by cottonwood trees, the landing is a free BLM managed place alongside one of the designated "Wild and Scenic" parts of the Missouri River. There isn't much here: A grove of trees, a fishing hole, and plenty of quiet. Maybe that's a good thing--if you're looking to get away for a few days, this might just be the place you're looking for. For more information on the BLM area follow this link.

Of course, you can look around those cottonwood trees to see that big canopy of stars. Which takes us back to the Montana slogan problem. Years back, about 1895 the first "official" slogan for Montana was "The Treasure State," dubbed for the quantities of gold and silver wrested from Montana soils. Nevertheless, in 1922 the World Almanac--apparently without intending any irreverence--hailed Montana as the "Stubbed Toe State," pointing to hazards novice hikers might encounter when sojourning through some of the state's higher mountains. Tourism officials would gasp.

By 1940's state highway map printers would introduce, "High, Wide, and Handsome" as a more fitting reference--and that's where it stayed until the 1960s. "Big Sky," came into vogue, and onto license plates. Why mess with a good thing? Apparently tourism officials haven't seen that light--at last break they were trying out "EZ 2 LUV" Unlike McDonald's--I'm not luvin it. You can read the whole story by following this link.

Photo courtesy Montana State Travel