May 31st – June 1st
This is the map for our first day. Click here to enlarge it.
This video was on a section of SR 200 following the Flathead River before it merged with the Clark Fork River. You can see the sediment that was left by the floods on the far side of the river.
We left our campground early because the first day was a long day’s drive. We followed 93N then 200W. We stopped in Paradise to find the Paradise Center, an old brick school building that’s been converted to a visitor’s center, a community and arts center, and a museum. The staff there was very helpful and gave us a lot of info. Next we turned onto 28N and stopped at Rainbow Lake (also called Dog Lake). We followed the winding road down to the lake and stopped to have lunch. There was a vertical cliff at the head of the lake as well as more of it on the far side of the road: all created by the Ice Age Floods. From there we headed N, then turned S on 382. That took us over Merkle Pass (it was just a dip in the mountain, hard to identify) and then we drove thru Camas Prairie, one of the spectacular spots to view the huge ripples created by the Ice Age Floods. The Mission Mountain Range was in front of us, with lots of snow covered peaks.
Next we retraced our drive along 200S and turned on 212N and stopped to visit the Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana. I explored the museum then wandered around the building to see the landscape. Lots of details. Our last stop for the day was the Bison Range, a huge refuge. We drove the long way around it and saw bison, deer, and elk. We also saw a coyote (or a wolf), but didn’t have time to get a photo. Temp had been up to 95 that day, so we were glad we saw any of the animals at all! We were happy when it finally cooled off.
On the second day, we headed east on 200 (this loop is not shown on map above) and wandered through the landscape formed by the Ice Age Floods, drove through the town of Ovando then looped back to I-90 and 93 to return to the campground. There were some humorous things, and some beautiful rock formations, but I only took a few photos. The day finished with a lovely sunset.
Be sure to see the main page for this set of travelogues so you can learn more about the Ice Age Floods. Go to: 2025 Ice Age Floods.
