BILLINGS AND THE BIG OPEN - Montana and Wyoming - page 70

(off Hwy. 313 near the top of the dam, 406/666-2412 or 406/666-3218, www.nps.gov/bica ,
9am-5pm daily Memorial Day-Sept.). Pontoon boats can be rented from the Ok-A-Beh
Marina (Hardin, 406/666-2349, 8am-6:30pm daily Memorial Day-Labor Day). There are
numerous free campgrounds within the boundaries of the recreation area, many of which
are open all year.
On the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, Cheyenne Trailriders (N. Tongue
River Rd. and Robinson Ln., Ashland, 406/784-6150 or 406/679-0285,
www.cheyennetrailriders.com ) affords visitors an opportunity to explore the reservation on
horseback. In order to increase awareness and appreciation of Cheyenne history and culture,
they offer workshops on history, culture, and ethnobotany. Guides are also happy to teach
you about gourd dancing, intertribal hand games, round dancing, and Indian sign language
around an evening campfire. There are storytellers and flute players to entertain riders, and
wagon trips are available for non-riders. Custom overnight trips, with lodging in a tipi, can
be arranged for riders as young as eight years old.
ACCOMMODATIONS
Lodging in this part of the state can be sparse, so day trips from Billings are not a bad idea
unless you are an angler and need to be on the river from dusk until dawn. The closest
town to the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument and easiest place to find accom-
modations in the area is Hardin. Safe bets include the Super 8 (201 14th St., 406/665-1700
or 800/800-8000, www.hardinsuper8.com , from $76) and Rodeway Inn (1324 N. Craw-
ford St., 406/665-1870, www.choicehotels.com , from $80). Both have clean and comfort-
able guest rooms; the kids will flip for the two-story waterslide that dominates the outdoor
pool at the Rodeway Inn. The Lariat Motel (709 N. Center Ave., 406/665-2683, $49-69) is
clean and pet-friendly.
A historical and worthwhile place to stay in Hardin is the Kendrick House Inn (206
N. Custer Ave., 406/665-3035, from $99), a 1915 Edwardian boardinghouse. There are five
guest rooms and a couple of suites with private baths, all meticulously decorated with peri-
od furniture.
Just three miles south of Hardin, the Orvis-endorsed Eagle Nest Lodge (3100 Eagle
Nest Rd., Hardin, 406/665-3711 or 866/258-3474, www.eaglenestlodge.com , packages
from $1,700 for 3 nights) is a beautiful and traditional log lodge ideally suited for fishing
and bird hunting. The lodge has seven well-appointed guest rooms, all with private baths,
and the meals—breakfast, field lunch, and dinner—are superb. There are guides on-site,
and owners John and Rebecca are exceedingly gracious and always available to point guests