Montana Museum of Art & Culture

The museum features changing exhibits. The the exhibits in main galleries when we visited were the works of Morton Levin which he created from the 1930s - 2005. He worked in a variety of mediums, and the exhibit included drawings, paintings, prints, etchings, woodcuts, and engravings. Some are very intricate and some, like his depictions of WWII, are disturbing. 

Photos were not permitted of Morton Levin's artwork. The other galleries are small - one featured weavings and the other had a timeline of the museum's acquisitions. 

The museum is accessible.

The museum is on the campus of the University of Montana. It does not have a dedicated parking lot and like most college campus the parking lots have restrictions. We found an hourly lot - W on this map - and walked/rolled 1/3 mile along Campus Drive to the museum. We tried to cut through the campus and found steps without a ramp. Stick to the sidewalk which is in good condition. Museum  46.86473, -113.98473

Lochsa Historical Ranger Station

The ranger's station has always been closed when we've crossed over the Lolo Pass so I was happy to see the open sign this time. When the station was built in 1925 a trail provided the only access to it. It was in operation until the late 1950s and was a hub for backcountry fire lookouts and smoke chaser cabins that were connected by a system of pack trails and telephone lines. 

The station has three building to tour - the alternate ranger's house which serves as a small museum and visitor center, the ranger's house which is furnished with period pieces, and the combination building which was originally four separate buildings. The combination building was used as the ranger's office, kitchen and dining room for the forest workers, and a tool room.

A paved trail loops through the woods and passes by several relocated cabins. Wild plum trees grow along the lower portion of the trail. The plums are about the size of cherries and delicious. 

The site is not totally accessible. A paved trail goes to all of the main buildings but there are some hills where wheelchair users may need assistance and some of the buildings have high thresholds or steps. The trail through the woods has steep sections and comes out in the lower parking lot.

There is one short accessible space (we just fit with our 25' RV) by the restroom. Do not drive past the restroom. Walk/roll up the road from the restroom to the visitor center. Larger vehicles must park in the lower lot which means an even longer trek up the hill. Ranger Station    46.33867, -115.32801

Pink House Recreation Site

The pink house, a landmark that stood near the current boat ramp, is long gone but the name stuck.  The name is not the only unusual thing about this BLM site. It's less than two miles from a town and has a full hookup campground - very different from many of the BLM sites in the desert.  

The campground was recently renovated and it's very nice although a little noisy due to its close proximity to US 12. Amenities include tables, grills, fire rings, restrooms, a boat ramp, and easy access to the water. We camped in the pull through site near the three tent sites because it's farthest away from the road and more private. That won't be the case if the tent sites are occupied. They are close each other and close to the pull through site. 

Two of the sites are designated as accessible. They have paving under the tables and around the fire rings. All of the sites have paved parking pads, tables with extended tops, and high fire rings so they all are usable.    Park    46.50292, -116.34876

Texas Rapids Recreation Area

We snagged the best site in this free Corp of Engineers park, out on a spit of land surround by water with views of the cliffs. It's a back in or out spot - no room to turn around. There two more sites with water frontage that can be easily accessed. The large parking lot can also be used for camping and the grassy area is good for tents. 

Amenities include picnic tables- some with shelters, grills, fire rings, vault toilets, a dumpster, a boat ramp, and docks. No cell signal. 

The ground is hard packed and rolling around is fairly easy, at least where the gravel is not deep.

Any size vehicle will fit in the parking lot.  Park     46.56312, -118.09968

Sacajawea State Park and Interpretive Center

The Lewis and Clark Expedition camped near the park location on October 16, 1805 as they made their way down the Columbia River. While the site doesn't have any connection to Sacajawea's tribal heritage, it's an historic gathering spot for hundreds of members of the local Native American tribes. The museum was built in the 1930s as a Works Project Administration project and features exhibits on the Expedition and the Native Americans who lived in the area at the time.  

The museum is accessible. A paved path with interpretive signs goes from the parking lot to the museum.

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle.   Park     46.20018, -119.0402

Threemile Canyon-Quesnel Park

There are several very good spots along the river where large RVs will fit plus a large flat parking lot. When we arrived in late afternoon the lot was a third full with wind surfers who all left at twilight. 

The west end of the lot is a Native American Treaty Fishing Access Site and closed to non-native camping. 

The access road is gravel and washboard in spots but navigable by any vehicle. Park   45.81163, -119.96881

The Fruit Company Museum and Gift Shop

Promoted as the Hood River Fruit Loop, Route 35 and 281 south of the town of Mt Hood, Oregon make a 35 mile loop through the Hood River Valley past fruit stands, wineries, and breweries. As we drove along Route 35, heading north to the Columbia River, we kept missing the turns to the fruit stands so we were happy to spot the easy turn to the Fruit Company. I was hoping to buy some of the delicious peaches that we've had from this area along the river. Once inside the building we started looking for the fruit and found a small, refrigerated case with fruit and snacks. One peach for $3.00! 

Needless to say, we did not buy a peach but we did enjoy the little museum with exhibits on the fruit industry. The gift shop makes up about half of the display area. The Fruit Company also sells fruit baskets and offers shuttle tours of the farms, tram rides, train rides, road bike and railbike rentals. 

We did find a fruit stand farther Route 35 and bought some peaches, sadly not as good as previous years. Maybe we should have bought the $3.00 peach! :D

The museum is accessible.

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle.  Fruit Company        45.65452, -121.50952 

White River West Sno-Park

During the summer Oregon Sno-Parks are open for free camping. The White River West Sno-Park parking lot, with a wonderful view of Mount Hood, is large enough for many vehicles. It's sloped at the south end so head to the north end for a more level parking spot. A trail climbs up over the winter runoff flood debris and continues along the river for about a mile. 

We camped here for about a week with a great group of nomads at a Homes On Wheels Alliance gathering. We had been planning on camping near Sisters, Oregon but the with all the forest fires in that area we scraped our plan and moved to the Sno-Park as a safer alternative. I was a little concerned about camping in a parking lot rather than a forest setting but it turned out to a good place - at least for the first week of the gathering. Another forest fire started over the mountain to the east, about ten miles away. The wind was blowing away from us so although occasionally huge clouds of smoke appeared over the mountains there wasn't any danger. Tony and I had to leave after a week to start our yearly trek to Pennsylvania. Most of the other campers stayed but not for long. The wind changed direction and the smoke became so thick that it was hard to breathe. For safety reasons the parking lot was closed. It's been two weeks and it's still closed. The fire is only 47% contained. This fire season has been devastating for Washington and Oregon.

The parking lot is in good condition, so rolling is easy. The trail along the river and nearby trails in the forest are not accessible due to the terrain and uneven ground.  Sno-Park   45.30413, -121.67449