SEELEY-SWAN VALLEY
The Seeley-Swan Valley is known as the outdoor-lovers paradise, because it acts as a launching point to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex which covers 1.5 million acres.
The Seeley-Swan scenic drive is a 90 mile long corridor along Highway 83 stretching through the Swan Valley from Seeley Lake to Swan Lake. There are hundreds of natural lakes, ranging in size from a few acres to several thousands of acres, all squeezed into this narrow heavily forested valley. The Mission Mountains rise to the west, and the Swan Rang walls off the East, creating a pocket of solitude.
Holland Lake Campground
For the adventurous, the Great Continental Divide Route runs through Western Montana. Be aware that this route is not maintained, and conditions are subject to change, ride at your own risk.
Lincoln
Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild is a free sculpture park in Lincoln Montana. From the road you would not expect this to be hidden amongst the trees.
The sculpture park is a contemporary art representation reflecting on the mining, and logging history that have been the key economic growth of Lincoln for so long.
We recommend skipping I-15 into Helena and instead riding Flesher Pass from Lincoln to Helena.
HELENA
The Cathedral of St. Helena began construction in 1908 and was consecrated in 1924. Some published accounts say that the Cathedral is modeled after the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, but actually architect A. O. Von Herbulis modeled the Cathedral of St. Helena after the Votivkirche in Vienna, Austria, which was under construction when he was a student in that city.
Reeder's Alley was built in the 1870s by a Pennsylvania brick and stone mason named Louis Reeder. It is the oldest intact piece of early Helena. It was originally known as Cutler Street in Last Chance Gulch and it began as a result of a gold discovery on July 14th 1864 by a group of men known as the Four Georgians. On October 30th of that year, the area was renamed Helena. Between 1972 and 1884 Louis Reeder built over 30 brick and stone one-room tenements with no indoor plumbing for miners. Unfortunately Reeder died when he fell off scaffolding while working in 1884 and Cutler Street was renamed to Reeder's Alley. Thanks to the masonry, these buildings survived the fires that plagued the early community of Helena.
Last Chance Gulch is the name of the actual gulch in which gold was discovered in 1864. The thoroughfare which was built down the Gulch is now a walking mall, with a few unique businesses like the Parrot Confectionary which has been around since 1922.
