The Outdoors

Perhaps the squirrels have to work a little harder up here to make it through the winter, but really - squirrels in Montana are doing something this year that I have never seen them do, and it's not good news for your home or property.

After temperatures in the mid 50s this week, the southern mountains of Montana could get a welcomed blast of fresh snow by Friday night. The only downer is that significant winds will probably accompany this new storm front, so back country adventurists need to use caution.

Portions of Montana's are getting pummeled with nasty winds Tuesday. A High Wind Warning is currently in effect for some counties and High Wind Watches are in effect for others. Some areas to the west are also dealing with dangerous avalanche conditions.

The storms and atmospheric rivers that have been invading the entire northwest of the country, isn't skipping Montana mountain ranges. Avalanche danger has risen significantly and may continue to rise this week for several counties and their Montana mountain ranges.

Travelers have encountered howling winds and ground blizzard conditions on Thanksgiving while traveling on Montana roads. Southwest Montana highways have been particularly hit by gusty winds consistently over 30 mph. Combined with even small amounts of snow, conditions and visibility has been quite poor.

As the problem escalates and the debate continues about 'urban camping' across Montana, it's not very often that you can get a bird's eye view of how out of hand it's getting. How many people are squatting or 'camping' on public streets?

One of the best things to do in Montana is the "get lost" road trip - just gather a bag and check out some small town across the state you've never been to. Montana's beauty is so different from county to county. Mountains, plains, and everything in between. We've found some gorgeous Montana places that you've likely never seen.

Central and southwest Montana valleys could be dangerously slick on Thursday morning during commute hours. A perfect storm of temperature and moisture will combine to create freezing rain in several locations.

Poor air quality and Air Stagnation Alerts are numerous for western Montana counties right now, and are expected to continue through most of Wednesday. How bad is the air quality in some of the areas of concern?

Bad reviews of Yellowstone National Park are almost something we enjoy reading these days. So many of them are based on such foolish complaints - the fickleness of Mother Nature, not enough wildlife on demand, or perhaps too much steam coming out of a geyser.

To experience the following things, you'd HAVE to be in Montana because there's no place else on earth that you'd be able to see or do them. From food to fishing, Montana is packed with special experiences that simply can't be replicated anywhere else on earth.

Montana has some weird people and even weirder animals that call it home. Who would have guessed that the rarest mammal in all of North America lives in Montana?