Bozemanmountain town

An hour’s drive west of Bozeman, Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park is an accessible natural wonder overlooked by many Montana travelers. From May through September, guides lead small groups into a hole in the side of an otherwise nondescript mountain. Inside, miles of limestone caverns and chambers have been spectacularly carved by eons of water and pressure. A two-hour hike through the caverns reveals amazing rock formations, stalagmites and stalactites jutting surreally off the cave’s sculpted surfaces. Lights, stairs and handrails make the tour accessible for first-time spelunkers, but the experience still requires some comfort with dark and tight spaces. If you’re lucky, you might spot a few of the cave’s full-time residents: colonies of western big-eared bats.