Explore!: Magazine's Montana Roadside Directory and Trip Planner

by Michael Dougherty, Printing, champions publishing

Aside from its spectacular scenery and abundant wildlife, much of the allure
of Montana is in its wide open spaces and sparse population. It s not
uncommon to travel 80-100 miles between inhabited towns (yes, there are
towns that are virtually uninhabited!), and find nothing more than a bar and
a church. This can be pretty unnerving if the gas gauge is near empty, the
stomach is growling, the kids are screaming for food, and it s getting late
enough to think of bedding down.

When traveling in most populated states, it is a safe assumption that just
about any town on the map will have basic services (gas, dining, and
lodging). T aint so in Montana. In January of this year, over 250 gas
stations had to close or stop selling gas because of EPA tank regulations.
This left many small towns without a place to fill up. And most are too
small for any type of familiar food franchise, or even a place to eat other
than the local bar.

This is the ultimate Montana travel guide. This remarkable guide was over
three years in development. During that time the authors drove over 20,000
miles, personally interviewed over 4,000 businesses and checked out hundreds
of attractions. They spent thousands of collective hours putting everything
they gathered into what you will agree is a truly remarkable tool for anyone
traveling by automobile or planning a trip in this state.

The book is very friendly and easy to use. In fact, this was the number one
priority in producing the book. 320 full color 8-1/2 x 11 pages printed on
heavy stock pack in more information about this state than any other Montana
guide book in print. Everything you need to know to plan your trip, or to
help you while you re on it, is included in this book. Once you see it,
you ll wonder how we were able to put such an incredible book together at
such a low price.
The book is divided into 27 logical stretches of highway. Each section
includes literally a mile-by-mile description of what you will find on your
journey.

Each section opens with a general description of the route, a little history
of the area, towns along the way, and anything else of interest.

That is followed with detailed, easy-to-read maps of the section and any
towns that have more than one commercial street. On these maps they indicate
by number the specific location of every gas stop, place to eat, lodging
facility, and attraction along the way every single one that was in business
when they surveyed the area. If there s a fast food franchise, hot dog
stand, burger palace, hometown cafe, or fine dining establishment they'll
tell you. If they have a single gas pump the book lists them. If they fix
any part of your car it's listed. If they rent even a few rooms they're in
there. If its anything worth stopping (or even slowing down) for a
historical site, state park, museum, point of interest, etc. it's listed.
They even include retail establishments that feel you would find them of
interest. There are over 70 highway and town maps in this book.

Following the maps in the listing section, the authors tie the number on the
map to each of the services and attractions. They provide basic information
such as the name, address, and phone number of the service. Following the
name they provide easy-to-read symbols indicating the type of service or
services provided. In many cases there is a paragraph giving additional
information about the service or attraction. For many of them, there are
photos.

If that isn t enough, the listings are followed with a quick reference chart
for each of the three critical categories of interest to a traveler: dining,
lodging, and auto. Each of these charts allows the reader to scan through
all of the businesses in that category for a quick comparison. If you're
looking for fast food, quickly see which places fit that description and
where they are. Need diesel? See which stations sell it. Looking for a motel
with an indoor pool? Scan through quickly and find all of the ones in that
section.

There's a lot of information packed into these tables. For instance:

Dining: Tells you the type of food served, the price range, if they have a
kid s menu, do they serve beer? wine? cocktails?, what meals do they serve,
if they take reservations, and what credit cards they take. Their number on
the map and in the listing section is also provided for easy cross
reference.

Lodging: Tells you how big they are (number of rooms), what price range they
are in, if they serve breakfast (continental or full), if they have a
swimming pool (indoor or outdoor) or hot tub, if they have non-smoking
rooms, other...

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999