2 Best Sights in Billings, Little Big Horn, and the Montana Plains, Montana

Although many Plains Indian tribes opposed the intrusion of whites into their lands, the Crow did not. Hoping that U.S. troops would keep the rival Cheyenne and Lakota off their lands, the Crow allied themselves with the U.S. government. Ultimately, the army protected Crow territory from the other tribes—but only so it could be settled by whites. Despite the betrayal, the last traditional chief of the Crow, Plenty Coups, strongly encouraged his people to adopt modern ways and cooperate with the U.S. government. At his request, his home and general store in the town of Pryor were preserved as a state park after his death. Note the blending of modern and traditional ways, such as the room of honor in the rear of his log home, meant to parallel the place of honor along the back wall of a tepee. Parks Passports are not valid here.

The drive from Makoshika State Park to Fort Peck will take you along the Hi-Line, otherwise known as U.S. 2. Drive Highway 200 to Circle, then north on Highway 13, one of Montana's designated Scenic Backcountry Byways, or drive north through the wide, fertile Yellowstone River valley on Highway 16 to Sidney, then Culbertson, where you'll catch U.S. Highway 2. Either way, you'll travel through the Fort Peck Reservation. Like most of eastern Montana, much of the land here is beautifully austere; at nearly 2 million acres, the reservation is home to only 9,400 tribal members. However, the reservation does have a bustling industrial center, a community college, and an interesting tribal cultural center and museum in Poplar.