First, you can become a farmer for a day, or maybe a week. These activities are exciting, not always relaxing, but certainly fun. So, here are the picks.
Press Your Own Cider, Bozeman
Pete Fay started Rocky Creek Farm in 1981, and he knew it would take years for his trees to yield fruit. So he installed a cider press and invited locals to bring in their apples. Today, his “U-pick” farm produces apples (and pumpkins) each fall, yet the tradition of “bring your own, make your own” cider continues.
Play Paleontologist, Glendive
Montana’s original habitants were the dinosaurs that last roamed the badlands about 65 million years ago. Their fossils have been discovered on public and private land, including Shana Baisch’s ranch. While collecting vertebrate fossils is illegal on public property, private landowners such as the Baisch family can play paleontologist on their own soil.
“Hidden Lake,” Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
With its crystal clear water, Wade Lake looks like it belongs in the Caribbean, not roughly 30 miles from the west entrance to Yellowstone. Although the place gets packed in summer, in the weeks immediately following Labor Day the families go home and the wildlife and stars come out.
