Montana Journey – Havre, Malta and Glasgow

We’re not crossing the Atlantic—this time “Glasgow” sits on Montana’s sweeping Hi-Line, a ribbon of highway and rail towns running just south of the Canadian border. In this episode, World Footprints journeys along U.S. Highway 2 from Havre to Malta and Glasgow, tracing the stories carved into Montana’s vast prairie. This is Big Sky country at its most authentic: where dinosaur bones emerge from badlands, ancient buffalo jumps overlook the Milk River, and locals still wave at passing Amtrak trains.

Along the way, we venture south to Fort Peck—home to one of the most ambitious New Deal engineering feats in America—and Fort Benton, a steamboat-era trading post often called the “Birthplace of Montana.” These stops reveal how geology, Indigenous heritage, railroads, and Roosevelt-era infrastructure together shaped a frontier that’s still evolving.

Through conversations, on-the-ground exploration, and a few surprises in between, this episode peels back the layers of Montana’s cultural and ecological tapestry. You’ll meet communities that have protected their natural treasures while keeping a deep sense of place—proof that stewardship and adventure can thrive side by side under Montana’s endless sky.

What you’ll hear

• Why the Hi-Line is a masterclass in slow travel—and how Amtrak’s Empire Builder stitched these prairie towns together.

• A walk through time at Havre’s buffalo jump and beneath-the-streets history.

• How Malta became “dino country,” with field programs that let travelers get hands-on with real fossils.

• Fort Peck’s New Deal engineering feat and a lake shoreline longer than California’s coast (yes, really).

• Fort Benton’s fur-trade past and why historians call it the “Birthplace of Montana.”

Featured stops & field notes

Havre: Wahkpa Chu’gn Buffalo Jump & Milk River Overlook

On the bluffs behind the old Holiday Village, Wahkpa Chu’gn reveals a bison kill site and campsite used for roughly two millennia. The site interprets communal buffalo hunts and exposes archaeological layers in situ—rare public access to this kind of Plains history.

Good to know: The site is also referenced as the “Too Close for Comfort Site,” with artifacts from multiple Native nations documented in the archaeological record.

Malta: Great Plains Dinosaur Museum & the Montana Dinosaur Trail

Malta sits atop fossil-rich badlands. At the Great Plains Dinosaur Museum, you’ll meet hadrosaurs, horned dinosaurs (including Maltaceratops), and a rotating roster of field discoveries. Summer dig programs put tools in your hands under Big Sky.

Pro tip: Pair it with the Phillips County Museum next door to see regional collections that connect paleontology to ranching and rail history.

Glasgow: Rail town with lake access

Tucked along the Empire Builder line and less than 20 miles north of Fort Peck Lake, Glasgow is a practical base for anglers, theater-goers (Fort Peck Theatre in season), and brewery hopping along the Hi-Line.

Fort Peck: New Deal megaproject & wild shoreline

Fort Peck Dam is the largest hydraulically filled dam in the U.S. (21,026 feet long; ~250 feet high). It impounds Fort Peck Lake, a serpentine reservoir with a shoreline that outstretches California’s—opening up fishing, paddling, and back-of-beyond coves inside the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

Fort Benton: “Birthplace of Montana” on the Upper Missouri

Founded in 1846 as a fur-trade post, Fort Benton became the head of steamboat navigation and a supply hub for the northern Plains. Today the historic district preserves trading-post footprints and riverfront stories that explain how goods—and ideas—moved inland before the rail era.

Why this route works for purposeful travelers

• Indigenous history in the open: Wahkpa Chu’gn interprets communal hunting strategies and seasonality in a way few sites make visible.

• Regenerative science tourism: Malta’s field programs show how visitors can support real research while learning—no plastic “dino park” required.

• Living New Deal heritage: Fort Peck’s dam, townsite, and museum embody the infrastructure stories shaping the modern West.

Episode credits & links

• Great Plains Dinosaur Museum (Malta): exhibits & field digs

• Montana Dinosaur Trail (Malta listing): specimen highlights incl. Maltaceratops and hadrosaurs

• Wahkpa Chu’gn Buffalo Jump (Havre): site overview & visitor info

• Fort Peck Project stats (USACE): dimensions, rankings, and operations

• Fort Peck Lake overview: length, depths, inflows

• Fort Benton background: fur-trade origins and “Birthplace of Montana” context

Book Your Stay Now in Montana

Use the interactive map below to search, compare and book hotels & rentals at the best prices that are sourced from a variety of platforms including Booking.com, Hotels.com, Expedia, Vrbo and more.  You can move the map to search for accommodations in other areas and also use the filter to find various points of interest!