Montana is the fourth-largest state in the nation, yet it is home to just over 1 million residents. Big Sky Country has about 30 million acres of public lands—roughly one-third of the state. From the mountains, along the rivers, to the vast plains, here are a few glimpses of the landscape of Montana, and some of the wildlife and people calling it home.
This photo story is part of Fifty, a collection of images from each of the United States.
Wild Goose Island sits in Saint Mary Lake in Montana's Glacier National Park, photographed on September 23, 2015. #
Wrangler Nate Cummins takes the opportunity to ride by moonlight during Montana Horses' annual horse drive outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 4, 2012. #
The historic center of the city of Livingston, situated near Yellowstone National Park, photographed on May 25, 2013 #
A casualty marker stands in Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, marking the site of the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn. #
Dogs pull beer kegs over the snow during the Monster Dog Pull at Red Lodge Ales at Sam's Tap Room in Red Lodge, Montana, on February 25, 2018. More than 40 dogs from the region pulled beer kegs in the 11th iteration of the competition to win dog treats and toys. #
A woman fly-fishes in the north fork of the Blackfoot River. #
An overview of the city of Billings, Montana #
Members of the Glasgow High School football team run on their practice field on October 14, 2014, in Glasgow, Montana. #
The 1916 Scandia Lutheran Church stands in an open field south of Malta. #
Groups of visitors raft down the Gallatin River. #
Bison from Yellowstone National Park are released on Montana's Fort Peck Indian Reservation on August 19, 2019, under a program that aims to reduce the shipment of bison to slaughter and establish new herds of the animals. #
Traffic moves along North Montana Street in Butte, Montana, on November 13, 2014. #
A 90-foot statue of the Virgin Mary, named "Our Lady of the Rockies," looks down on the city of Butte, photographed on July 23, 2018. #
Cattle graze in the broad Big Hole Valley with the snow-covered Bitterroot Mountains in the background. #
Canada is seen across the United States border near Havre, Montana, on November 20, 2015. #
People gather for the Bite of Bozeman, a kickoff event for the annual Sweet Pea Festival. #
An eastbound freight train rolls through a curve in Lombard Canyon just east of Toston, Montana, on September 11, 2011. #
Badlands near Hell Creek, Montana #
A bighorn sheep stands on a ridge in Glacier National Park on August 2, 2019. #
A ranger speaks to visitors on the Grinnell Glacier trail in Glacier National Park. #
An aerial view of the Montana State Capitol, in Helena, on a sunny afternoon with a hazy sky caused by wildfires. #
A lone tree stands on a snow-covered prairie near the town of Browning. #
An evening view, looking down Main Street, in Plentywood, a small city in northeastern Montana, on December 5, 2017. #
Snow-covered "ghost trees" stand on the slopes of Two Top Mountain, near West Yellowstone, Montana. #
A grizzly bear walks through Glacier National Park on August 5, 2018. #
Colorful rocks are seen in Glacier National Park's Lake McDonald. #
A view looking west, over the Main Hall clock tower and The Oval at the University of Montana, during autumn, with the Missoula Valley stretching out into the distance #
People wearing wetsuits surf and kayak on Brennan's Wave, a man-made wave in the Clark Fork River that runs through the center of Missoula. The wave was dedicated in 2006, and named for Brennan Guth, a local explorer and river advocate who was killed in an accident in a river in Chile in 2001. #
A young bison stands under a stunted pine tree that many bison return to year after year to rub their shaggy spring coats, in Montana's National Bison Range. #
Autumn colors along McDonald Creek in Glacier National Park #
Horses run to the corrals during the Montana Horses' annual horse drive outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 4, 2012. The Mantle family, who owns Montana Horses and who had invited the public to witness horse drives since 2001, were holding their last horse drive. Approximately 300 horses were rounded up and driven 35 miles from their winter range to the Mantle ranch over the course of three days. #
Wrangler Denise Boyd laughs by the campfire during Montana Horses' annual horse drive outside Three Forks, Montana, on May 4, 2012. #
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