One Sure Sign You’re in a Truly Tiny Montana Town

I've lived in Montana the majority of my life, moving here as a teenager in 1988, the same year as the big Yellowstone Fire. I consider myself fairly well-traveled across our state, having visited most of our bigger towns and smaller communities for either kids' sports, business, or vacation travel.

Last weekend, we drove through an isolated section of Montana for my first time, and I realized there is one common denominator shared amongst our tiniest towns. Here's how this observation became apparent.

How we ended up in the absolute middle-of-nowhere Montana.

My youngest kids have spent a couple of weeks with my oldest daughter and her husband in Havre for the last few summers. It's a nice break for us, and the kids love it. Last weekend, we zipped up to the Hi-Line to pick them up. We usually go from Billings to Grass Range, up to Fort Belknap, and cut over. It's the fastest route, at roughly 4 hours.

Take the alternate route. You might be surprised.

Construction made Highway 2 a mucky mess for 10 miles or so into Havre, so I discussed taking the slightly longer alternate route to Billings/Laurel with my son-in-law. I was also hoping to get a slightly different view on the way home. Mix a boring drive up a little, you know?

He said, "Yeah, it's great. Cut down to Fort Benton, over to Harlowton, down to Lavina, then Acton, and back home to Laurel on Zimmerman Trail." Perfect!

Long story short, we made a wrong turn in Big Sandy and ended up on 48 miles of hilly, curvy, sometimes bumpy gravel road. It was one of the most isolated places I've ever felt in Montana, with nothing but cows and valleys, badlands, and dramatic views in every direction, becoming increasingly stunning the closer we got to the Missouri Breaks. It was absolutely beautiful, and surprisingly green for August in Montana.

We eventually crossed the Missouri River, climbed a super-steep hill, and soon found civilization again at Winifred, MT, pop. 176.

 You know you're in Tiny Town, Montana, when the only place to find a restroom on a Sunday afternoon is the local bar.

We left Havre, planning to stop for gas, water, and snacks in Box Elder. Nope, guess again. Next stop, Big Sandy. There is a 24-hour fuel island in Big Sandy, and we topped off our gas tank, but no water, snacks, or restrooms at the fuel stop.

An hour or so later, we stopped in Winifred. Again, the 24-hour fuel pumps were available, but the only apparent place for the kids to go pee was the lone bar on Main Street. The bartender and two customers at the bar didn't bat an eye when I wandered in to walk the kids to the bathroom.

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Side note: Central Montana is an entirely different experience if you're more familiar with the Western half of our state. It's tough to describe, but captivating. This part of Montana is open, barren, beautiful, agricultural, rugged, filled with history, desolate, and... authentic? Check out VisitMT.com to learn more.