Montana is home to an endless amount of amazing scenery and natural beauty. The first thing that comes to mind for many is probably the national parks. We have an endless amount of visitors each year that come just to see the sights and experience the wonders of Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. Of course, we know all about the beauty of Montana but it's always nice to have others take notice as well. That's why it caught my attention today when I saw one spot in Montana mentioned on a best-of list

Did you know we had this many State Parks?

While the national parks get all the attention did you know that Montana has more than fifty state parks? That number seems like nothing when you consider there are actually over 10,000 of them in the country! But with that many, it makes it even more impressive that Montana had a state park make this Thrillist list of "The 36 Best State Parks in America."

Is this one the best of the bunch in Montana?

While Montana has an assortment of state parks where you can fill your days with camping, hiking, fishing, swimming, boating, and more, the one that gets the spotlight today is Makoshika State Park in Glendive.

Imagine walking among sleeping Tyrannosaurus rexes and triceratops, trying to be quieter than the bubbling streams or the warm winds rushing through the ferny understory and high-palm trees. Now fast forward 66 million years. Today, Makoshika State Park—“bad earth” to the Lakota—is 12,000 acres of mudstone and sandstone badlands speckled with orange-gray tent rocks that spring up like giant mushrooms in a petrified fairytale land, fossils buried under and around their stems.

I've yet to cross Makoshika State Park off on my BINGO card. Have you been? What do you think of it? What's your favorite state park in Montana?

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RANKED: Here are the most popular national parks

To determine the most popular national parks in the United States, Stacker compiled data from the National Park Service on the number of recreational visits each site had in 2020. Keep reading to discover the 50 most popular national parks in the United States, in reverse order from #50 to #1. And be sure to check with individuals parks before you visit to find out about ongoing, pandemic-related safety precautions at www.nps.gov/coronavirus.

LOOK: Stunning vintage photos capture the beauty of America's national parks

Today these parks are located throughout the country in 25 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The land encompassing them was either purchased or donated, though much of it had been inhabited by native people for thousands of years before the founding of the United States. These areas are protected and revered as educational resources about the natural world, and as spaces for exploration.

Keep scrolling for 50 vintage photos that show the beauty of America's national parks.

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