Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
Chamber of Commerce
( 406-222-0850;
www.livingston-chamber.com
;
303 E Park
St)
Has a very useful website. Try also
www.livingstonmontana.com
.
Gallatin National Forest Livingston Ranger District
( 406-222-1892; 5242 Hwy 89
S)
One mile south of town on 1-90, next to Yellowstone Angler.
Timber Trails
( 406-222-9550; 309 W Park St)
For maps and outdoor gear, including
mountain bikes, skis and snowshoe rentals.
TOM MINER BASIN
To get off the beaten track, head west of US 89 on Tom Miner Rd, 17 miles north of Gardiner and 35 miles south of
Livingston, into one of the prettiest pockets of land in the area. The washboard road ends 12 miles west of the high-
way at secluded 16-site
Tom Miner Campground
(sites $7;
Jun-Oct)
, which has potable water and toilets.
Several trails start at the campground, including a 3-mile loop (trail 286) through the
Gallatin Petrified Forest
,
where remnants of 35- to 55-million-year-old petrified wood are scattered among the Absaroka's volcanic rocks. A
0.5-mile interpretive trail winds around volcanic bluffs of fused ash (bear right where a sign says 'Hiker Trail
Only') and peters out by a remarkable piece of petrified wood that is lodged in the roof of a small cave. Visitors are
allowed to keep one small piece of petrified wood (maximum 20 cubic inches) with a free permit available at the
Gardiner, Bozeman or Livingston ranger offices.
Paradise Valley
With Livingston as a railroad stop, Paradise Valley became the first travel corridor to Yel-
lowstone National Park. Gardiner, 50 miles south of Livingston and just north of the
Mammoth Hot Springs entrance to Yellowstone, is still one of the park's most popular
entry points. The valley is mostly ranchland but has also included at various times such
famous residents as Peter Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Dennis Quaid, Tom Brokaw and the
Church Universal & Triumphant (CUT), which borders on Yellowstone National Park.
And yes, a river, the Yellowstone, does run through it.
US 89 follows the Yellowstone River through this broad valley, flanked by the Gallatin
Range to the west and the jagged Absaroka Range to the east. If you have time, the scenic
