The state name Montana comes from the Spanish word montaña, meaning “mountain”—a perfectly apt name for a region with some of the most gorgeous mountain views in the US. The mountain range you’ll be seeing on a Big Sky tour is the Madison Range, an 80-mile stretch of mountains running from Yellowstone to Bozeman. The town of Big Sky is nestled comfortably within the Madison Range, in the shadow of Lone Mountain’s 11,167-foot peak. Besides providing the perfect backdrop for your Big Sky adventure, Lone Mountain is also home to the Big Sky Resort, one of the largest ski resorts in the United States.
The Madison Range was discovered by the Lewis & Clark expedition in 1805 and named after future US President James Madison, then the Secretary of State. Meriwether Lewis and James Madison had a personal connection through his wife, Dolley Madison, who took a personal interest in Lewis & Clark’s plans to explore the west.
Fearing that the $2,500 given to the expedition by Congress wouldn’t be enough, Dolley organized a fundraiser to purchase additional equipment, including cloth, canned food, candle wax, and silver utensils. When Lewis made his triumphant return to Washington in 1806, he gifted the surviving utensils back to the Madisons as a token of his appreciation.
To the east of the Madison Range, well within view of Big Sky, is the Gallatin Range, another mountain range running parallel to the Madison. The Gallatin Range was named after US Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin and features one of the largest petrified forests in the country.
To make the most of your trip, check out our Big Sky Self-Guided Driving Tour, or you can sign up for Action+ and gain access to over 100 tours for a single yearly price.
