Montana State Park Makes Prestigious List of Places That Rival National Parks

Now that signs are pointing to fewer people moving to Montana, and the more popular places in Montana are getting the attention they deserve, I'd been waiting for some of the "under the radar" places in Montana to get more attention.

I'm glad to see that a new article in Business Insider is shining a light on a Montana State Park that is worthy of praise.

The article from Cassandra Brookyln is about the state parks she has visited that are "just as cool as national parks" and she can make this claim because she's visited all 50 states.

The list she puts together only features 10 U.S. state parks, which makes it special that a Montana state park made it onto the list.

Visiting Montana's Makoshika State Park

From Billings, Montana it's roughly a three-hour drive to Makoshika State Park, near Glendive Montana. The writer in the Business Insider article points out the "badland formations" and claims the state park is also "the most unusual" of the ones she visited. Montana Fish Wildlife, and Parks say "The name Makoshika is a variant spelling of a Lakota phrase meaning 'bad land' or 'bad earth'." Though Brooklyn doesn't say it explicitly in the Business Insider article, the national park that Makoshika would be compared to is Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

One of the main reasons to visit Makoshika is the dinosaur fossils of Tyrannosaurus Rex and Triceratops, but locals also know it's one of the best places for stargazing. Makoshika is one of Montana's Trail to the Stars destinations and has very little light pollution.

But other popular reasons to go are amenities like the disc golf course and the fact that pets are allowed.

Another bonus that Brooklyn points out that will appeal to locals: it's cheaper, and there are shorter lines—state parks for the win.