Contest submissions for Spring 2026.
It doesn’t matter if you’re born here, pass through on vacation, or move in from New York City—when the Big Sky gets in your bones, there’s no stopping it. You’ll do things you…
The raven’s shared journey with humankind.
Since that first cargo of belongings was dragged by hand across some ancient plain, traveling humans have been confounded by the overhead croaks and mocking chortles of circling…
Reflection and solitude on the American Prairie.
Setting out across the landscape from the Lewis & Clark Hut, Simon calls out, “The Mighty Mo!” We are on the westernmost property of American Prairie—often referred to…
Smell and high water on the Yellowstone River.
The call from Travis came in May: “It’s on.”
“It” being the mighty, undammed Yellowstone, and “on” meaning it hadn’t yet climbed to a dangerously high level of runoff.…
How Steve White—outdoorsman, adventurer, businessman, and civil servant—has helped shape the Gallatin Valley, in both seen and unseen ways.
Bozeman has its share of notable outdoorsmen. Many have been featured in this…
A day to remember in Yellowstone Park.
I’m not going to make it, I thought, struggling to keep my frozen legs moving. The only thing giving me hope was the bike tire in front of me, carving a narrow path through the snow.…
Safer chew-toys for dogs.
Bozeman is a wonderful place to live if you’re a dog—or a dog owner. Whether you’re hiking, camping, swimming, or using the many parks and green spaces around town, things are just more fun with a…
The ins and outs of fishing a ubiquitous insect hatch.
Reclined on a raft tethered to the bank of the Madison River, I was halfway through a ham sandwich when a single bug taking flight caught my eye. A brownish little…
Celestial mash-ups in the spring sky.
Ah, spring! The schizophrenic season, at least in these parts. Daffodils one day, snow the next, and plenty of mud regardless. It’s a whimsical mash-up of winter and summer that…
Taking it slow this spring.
Spring in Bozeman arrives quietly at first, and then all at once. The snowpack rots from the ground up, the sidewalks dry into grit, and people who’ve paced the house all winter decide it’s time…
An arts-and-crafts bonanza.
For nearly 20 years, HandMADE Montana has given Bozeman a reliably creative weekend in the spring. An explosion of art takes over the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse for the semi-annual Bozeman MADE…
The many faces of Strava.
Strava has become the modern trailhead bulletin board. People go so far as to joke, “If you don’t Strava it, did it even happen?” Social media has infiltrated the outdoor scene, providing us stats…
A history of infamous Gallatin Valley heists.
The Gallatin Valley has always inspired ambition—and not all of it honorable. From land seizures to financial sleights of hand, southwest Montana’s past is stitched together…
A look at the last 21 years in the Bozone.
For many Bozeman locals, 21 years is a lifetime; but for the Bozeman area in general, it’s been an era of development. High-speed eight-person chair? A term you couldn’t make up…
There’s a foul smell up Skunk Creek.
It used to be so simple. For decades, Skunk Creek Road has been open to the public, providing invaluable access to National Forest land in the Bangtails—invaluable because like the…
A long-awaited bear encounter.
In the several years since I’d moved to Montana and started walking in the woods, the only bear I’d seen was fleeing from the Bozeman police, crossing 11th on Koch. But I’d listened to plenty…
Does the vision match the experience?
Scouring the mountains for discarded antlers may seem silly, compared to mountain biking slickrock in the Utah desert or paddling raging spring rivers. But this increasingly popular…
A call for a better classroom.
Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,…
