Exploring Northwest Montana

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My wife and I spend almost every weekend in the car, trying to find interesting new places that we haven’t visited before.

One of our favorite places to go to, and we try to make it at least once a year, is to Yaak, Mont. From Rexford, near the Canadian border, follow Montana highway 508 to the Dirty Shame bar in Yaak for lunch. The highway then forks, and you can either drive to Silvanite, an old mining town, then emerge on U.S. 2 near Troy, or take the other fork, which leads back into Libby.

Another great day trip is to drive from Whitefish east on highways 40 and 2, then north on 486 to Polebridge, Mont. (the road is gravel the last 15 miles). They have a great old mercantile store there, plus rental cabins if you want to spend the night.

Then you can either go across the Canadian border and come out near Fernie, British Columbia, or take a side trip on a dirt road across the Whitefish Range and come out on the Good Creek road near Fortine, Mont.

MEMO: The Dirty Shame bar is open from noon to approximately 2 a.m., seven days a week. Call (406) 295-5439.