Spend a Weekend in Great Falls, Montana

On June 13, 1805, the explorer Meriwether Lewis came around a bend in the Missouri River and heard the gigantic roar of a waterfall that sent spray “above the plain like a column of smoke.” These were the falls that some 80 years later would lend their name to the settlement that sprung up downriver. Today, the city of Great Falls, population 60,000 or so, prides itself on its Lewis and Clark heritage and boasts a magnificent interpretive center dedicated to the adventurers.

Amid the town’s many historic buildings, you’ll also find modern enticements: funky shops, airy breweries, and more than a dozen museums. Come here to play in the nearby Little Belt Mountains, scratch your art itch, and belly up to one of the country’s most memorable bars.

Where to Explore Outdoors

In 1915, Ryan Dam harnessed the Great Falls’ immense power. But the thundering water and rainbow mist kicked up by the 148-foot drop is still an awesome sight. For one of the best vantages, cross a footbridge over the Missouri River to Ryan Island Park. Nearby, pick up the River’s Edge Trail, a mostly flat, multiuse path that offers more waterfall views, including three lower cascades. You might also spot bald eagles, orioles, and pelicans. Further down the trail, at West Bank Park, rent kayaks and paddle the Missouri’s calmer waters past willows and cottonwoods. Keep watch for the sun-licked flicker of enormous brown trout feeding near the surface.

More shoreline diversions are burbling at Giant Springs State Park, just east of town. Over 156 million gallons of cold water bubble up into a crystalline pool here every day. About 15 miles west of Great Falls, at First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park, take in the vast sweep of the high plains and learn how American Indian tribes hunted bison for centuries by stampeding them over the site’s milelong sandstone cliff. 

Showdown—a ski area that’s been operating since 1936—is well worth a day trip even in summer. Drive about 70 miles southeast along the Kings Hill Scenic Byway, which runs deep into the piney folds and grassy meadows of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. The route includes worthy stops such as Sluice Boxes State Park, where you can hike along an abandoned railroad bed bordered by old mines and homesteads. At Showdown, ascend the 8,200-foot summit. Views of low-slung peaks await, as well as a fire lookout tower staffed by spotters. Ask nicely, and they’ll show you how they work and live. On the way back, enjoy a French dip sandwich at Bob’s Bar in Neihart. 

Where to Eat

On sunny mornings, grab a picnic table on the large patio at Magpie and order the hearty breakfast bowl with grits, shiitake mushroom gravy, and popcorn chicken. Nearby, Mighty Mo Brewing Company makes outstanding beer using local wheat and barley. Pair a pint with a personal pizza or garlic-parmesan buffalo wings. Or soak up old-school supper club vibes at Borrie’s, where the family has been making authentic ravioli and Italian dishes since 1938. For dessert, try a sweet treat from Big Dipper Ice Cream, which scoops up locally made flavors like huckleberry and cardamom. 

In the evening, pull up a Naugahyde barstool at the Sip ’n Dip Lounge. The kitschy tiki bar showcases two large windows that look into the motel’s heated pool, where women in whimsical mermaid costumes swim most nights. The lounge also hosts an all-ages mermaid brunch twice a month.

Where to Shop 

Downtown Great Falls offers an eclectic mix of locally owned shops that make for a fun afternoon of looking for things you didn’t know you needed. Dragonfly Dry Goods stocks a wide variety of Montana-made gifts—everything from handthrown mugs to barbecue spice rubs. At The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers, owner Candice English honors her Indigenous heritage by giving some of her hand-dyed yarns Blackfeet names. Non-knitters can browse tops, totes, soothing teas, and salves made with plants picked by Blackfeet herbalists. 

In the market for a ruggedly handsome ensemble? Hoglund’s Western Wear, a 74-year-old institution, has pearl-snap shirts, Wrangler jeans, and boots from floor to ceiling. The honest staff will help you find the right cowboy hat (and tell you if one doesn’t look good), then custom shape it for you. For vintage ranch decor, such as cowhide chairs, mounted horns, and bronze mustangs, wander Antiques of Montana. The sprawling store displays collections from over 25 vendors. 

Things to See and Do

Museum options abound. You could ponder folk art by regional craftspeople at Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, discover how World War II pilots trained in Great Falls for the Berlin Airlift at the Malmstrom Museum and Air Park, or climb aboard a caboose at the Montana Museum of Railroad History. A must-see: The Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Located on the banks of the Missouri River, its hands-on exhibits bring to life the pair’s epic early 19th-century endeavor. Try on woolen period clothing, test your canoe-pulling mettle, and watch a 25-minute documentary on the expedition directed by Ken Burns. 

The C.M. Russell Museum houses more than 3,000 works by the “cowboy artist” and his contemporaries. Russell moved to Montana as a teen not long after the Civil War, and his paintings helped create the mythology of the American West—think Dakota chiefs overlooking grassy steppes, cowboys riding bucking broncs, and brawls outside saloons. Tour his creaky house and adjacent log cabin studio to see feather headdresses, moccasins, furs, and other items he used to stage his scenes. Plan ahead to peruse work by current Western and American Indian artists at the aptly named Great Western Show, which brings thousands to town each March. 

Dig further into ranch life at the Cowboys Bar and Museum. The tavern contains a room full of artifacts, including intricately designed saddles, lassos, and a rivet set made by notorious Wild Bunch gunslinger Kid Curry. To witness rope work in action, head to the hamlet of Belt, about 20 miles southeast of town, for the 65th annual Belt PRCA Rodeo, June 14–15. While there, be sure to buy a raffle ticket for your chance to win a whole pig. Win or lose, Great Falls promises an unexpected slice of hog heaven.