Montana has a TON of beautiful state parks. And a lot of them can be quite close together. If you are in the Bozeman area, it is definitely worth a drive to see the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park.
How To Get To Lewis and Clark Caverns:
Lewis and Clark Caverns Sate Park is located at 25 Lewis and Clark Caverns Rd.
Whitehall, MT 59759. It is less than an hour West of Bozeman and about 45 minutes East of Butte.
Once you get to Lewis and Clark Caverns, you will need to pay the day use fee which is $8 per vehicle. But once you pay this day use fee, you can get into any other state park the same day. Or if you have already been to another state park on that same day, your entrance pass will get you into the Lewis and Clark Caverns for free. if you are a Montana resident, you do not need to pay an entrance fee (if you pay the annual state park pass fee which is $9 when you register your vehicle).
What To Do at Lewis and Clark Caverns:
There is camping and hiking and biking trails at Lewis and Clark Caverns, but the main attraction are the caverns themselves! To visit the caverns, you will need to sign up for a guided tour. These guided tours are offered May-September. You can make these reservations for a small fee. Check each spring to see what the most recent tour information is.
The Cavern Tour is about a 2 hour experience and will take you inside the mountain near the visitor’s center. You will go through a series of caverns along a guided trail and see many different cave and cavern formations. It is dark, but there are low lights so you can safely walk around and see some of the cave and cavern features. There are hand rails throughout the caverns. Some places require a tight squeeze to get through but most people are usually fine going through the tour.
Sum Up:
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is a great family activity. We went with Lucy when she was 2.5 and she did great! I also went as a kid with my family and me and my younger brothers were all able to do the cave tour without any problems. Make sure to visit the two visitor’s centers and also feel free to go on a few hikes or bring a picnic to enjoy!
