Montana’s State Parks host about 1.85 million visitors annually. Though the itinerary usually includes touring the park site, wildlife viewing, camping, fishing and hiking, for most a road trip to enjoy the real Montana isn’t complete without a little shopping.
A recent study by the Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research at the University of Montana at Missoula found that 26 to 44 percent of all nonresident travelers named recreational shopping as a common activity during travel.
Fortunately, Montana’s State Parks offer many real Montana products and gifts in visitor centers and stores. Here is a quick tour of some of the larger Montana State Parks gift stores.
Chief Plenty Coups State Park, near Billings on the Crow Indian Reservation, exhibits the farmstead of Chief Plenty Coups who was the last traditional chief of the Crow Nation. He led his people from the "buffalo days" into the 20 th century. The gift store is recognized for its wide selection of traditional art and handmade, beaded items such as earrings and pins, belt buckles and other adornments. Traditional works by native artists include drums, moccasins, and par fleche cases.
Makoshika State Park, bordering Glendive, preserves ancient paleontological and archeological records etched on the parks 11,531 acres of haunting badlands landscape. Its gift store features a large selection of books on Montana’s prairies and lowlands, as well as artist’s prints, jewelry, sweatshirts, t-shirts, ball caps and backpacks.
Ulm Pishkun State Park, south of Great Falls, encourages people to learn about the importance of the buffalo to the Native Plains buffalo cultures. The park’s close relationship with Native American artisans in the Great Falls area has inspired a gift center inventory featuring a buffalo horn war club, rawhide chest, talking sticks, silver earrings, drum tables, King Kuka prints and other Native art.
The gift store at Bannack State Park, site of the first major gold rush in Montana in 1862, features a collection of difficult to find Western history books with a focus on the gold rush era. Examples include Perilous Passage by Edwin Purple and another great book recently re-released titled Forty Years on the Frontier by Granville Stuart.
Other Montana State Parks with shopping opportunities include: Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park and Travelers’ Rest State Park.
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