Living in California and having been inculcated to expect mining towns to either be highly…read moreengineered and artificial (Calico) or ghostly quiet, dead, and obscured by environmental mitigation efforts (Bodie), discovering the Alder Gulch felt a lot like striking gold myself. Here is a world that has been little changed since the mines played out - a world of youthful timber gradually reclaiming a pock-marked landscape of dredged creeks, tailing piles, and human habitations, going far to prove that, given enough time, even the scars of avarice and gold fever heal into something quite beautiful... a pretty "rockin" view to pilfer a phrase. It's easy to discover the history of the area by walking through Virginia and Nevada cities, but there is only one way to get the big picture in a way that will make you fully appreciate what happened in this remote corner of our nation during the 1860s. Nelson Offroad offers this opportunity. If you can only take one tour during your visit, take this one. Meeting in front of the Virginia City Depot, you can't miss the hulking mass of Desert Storm metal reposing under the Cottonwood tree. Ken and Dani are a local husband-and-wife team - two accomplished, articulate, and very engaging historians who are capable of illuminating the history of the area with great clarity and skill. Unlike most offroad tours, which are reminiscent of sitting in a blender on the chop setting while you stare straight ahead, contemplating your doom, the Alder Gulch tours are an adventurous scenic tour that offers just the right balance of adrenaline and scenic value. All tours take place aboard Colossus (be sure to ask Ken about the history of the vehicle) - a vehicle that can literally go anywhere and withstand earth, wind, fire, and ice as if it were a mere gnat smashed against the windscreen, and are narrated by Ken and/or Dani. The ride itself bumps along, but is in fact rather comfortable and smooth. If you are comfortable with mild jostling, you will be just fine. The daytime tour, which is about 90 minutes, journeys south from town and up into the lodgepole woods rising above Virginia City on the flanks of Mt. Baldy. Along the way, mining techniques and landscapes previously conveyed in pictures and text in town below become real - your guides will point out and describe the remnants of dredge, hydraulic, and open pit mining: all of which happened on the very ground Colossus grinds beneath his tires. The trip is steep, with a vertical rise of several thousand feet, and every turn of the wheel begets another story. Everything from the local midgets who became tycoons to the Chinese merchants who discovered an ingenious way to spring one of their own from prison to the world of frontier prostitution to the active mines of today are brought to life at the very places they happened. You won't look at the towns the same way again - nowhere is there a more thoroughly entertaining and exciting way to soak up the local history, flavor, and landscape, than aboard this tour. Wildlife sightings are common - Moose, Bear, and Deer call this area home, and there's a good chance you may see one... or even something supernatural if you take their new Ghost Tour. Tours run rain or shine (apparently the truck can handle apocalyptic floods without batting an eye), at $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, students, and servicemen, and $12 for kids. They also do special charter adventures if you have a place in mind and a group that wants to get there without bottoming out your little Subaru. Tourist things are sometimes abhorrent but this tour is emphatically not a trap. It is a legitimately enlightening and adventurous experience - one that I am anxious to repeat time and again. There is gold of all kinds up the gulch, and Colossus will take you there.

Apparently this is a new business! A lady in the train depot recommended to take an afternoon trip…read moreto the summit in a big truck. The trip takes you miles and miles in the mountains where you see gorgeous scenery (possibly moose) and learn history of the Gold Rush in the area and local geology. The guide/owner is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining! This has to be on everyone's list when visiting the area!

Comfortable ride on the lake. Great views all around. Sadly, the loudness of the engine drowned…read moreout the Captain's audible guidance. Couldn't much make out what he was sharing about the lake. Additional & upgraded speakers would make this boat tour a five star trip. Appreciate the refreshments for sale on-board.

I was in from Southern California the last week of a June. I was staying practically on the lake…read moreand how could you not take a tour on a boat?!? I had read some less than enthusiastic reviews about not being able to hear the captain over the microphone. Which if you DO NOT sit over the engine, you hear just fine if you want. It was a lovely excursion with the right amount of trivia sprinkled in on occasion. The staff was pleasant. The views and the 'big sky' from the water were OUTSTANDING. The price was more than reasonable for an almost two hour tour. It really was a highlight of my stay in Lakeside. Thank you!!!

Joe, our pilot, was great. He fit us in for a 1.5 hour scenic flight near the end of our trip to…read moreMissoula. We're from the Blue Ridge Mountains and came to Montana to see Big Sky Country. The Mission Mountains were exactly what we hoped to see and Joe got us very close to the mountains. The flight over Flathead Lake was a bonus. Joe is very knowledgeable about the area and if we knew small scenic flights were as affordable as Joe's, we would have scheduled at the start of our trip. On the plane, we had my husband, 6'-1" and 6'-0", 17 year old son. We all fit in comfortably and loved our flight. If we ever come back out, we would definitely fly with Joe again!

My wife and I came into Polson after a couple of days in Glacier Park with hopes of catching a boat…read moreout to Wild Horse Island for a Wildlife hike. Once that plan fell thru we were bummed but I found Blue Goose online and it completely turned our day around. Joe was awesome! From the minute we walked into his hanger he was friendly and welcoming. The flight around Mission Valley was beautiful. His knowledge of the area really showed with the tour he provided via headsets throughout the flight. We got 15,000 years of history! He even made recommendations for dinner and pointed out where the places were while we flew by. I have to recommend a flight with Joe to anyone visiting the area. It's something you really really have to do because it gives you such an amazing point of view on the area that you would never get otherwise

Spending the day with a resident expert in her field was so extra special i can't even say enough!…read moreWenFei answered our myriad of questions perfectly and made our trip out to Bison National Park memorable! In addition to knowing all things (and i do mean all) about the local birds, including their sounds and habitats, she could also share information perfectly about the bison, the antelopes (that we saw that day) and the native grizzlies. The local donuts were amazing as well as our lunch out with some local Montana fare. All in all a superb day, chock full of information that will have your feeling like an expert too! Don't miss this opportunity!

Wenfei organized a full day trip for us to the Flathead Wilderness Area. We went driving on bumpy…read moremountain roads, hiking up the side of a mountain alongside a picturesque babbling brook and picnicked next to a sparkling lake with a view of the mountains. Our focus was photography, and our route did not disappoint on that score. We also stopped for fresh baked goods and coffee on our way out of Missoula which made the ride that much more pleasant. We are generally outdoor people but we chose to use a tour company because we were traveling with a baby and didn't know how to find routes that would be child friendly and not overly demanding. We would definitely recommend Wenfei's guiding services and have referred several friends to her Big Sky Safaris for Montana travel. In particular her being a biologist makes an outstanding enhancement to hiking - we are not very knowledgeable about birds and animal droppings, and Wenfei pointed out all sorts of interesting things for us as well as small details worth photographing that we wouldn't have noticed on our own. Wenfei made us very comfortable, gave us excellent gear advice, and spared us many hours of poring over maps to identify good areas to visit. She also was really knowledgeable about the local plants and birds during our early autumn MT trip. This was a great splurge during our MT trip and one we'd do again in a heart beat.

We did the Clark Fork Whitewater Half Day Raft Trip (3 Hours No Lunch). We had a lot of fun, and…read moreour guide Sarah was very nice. We ended up being the only 2 guests on the raft. The area is beautiful in the fall, and the rapids were great. We were told that we went over some category 3 rapids. The excursion was reasonably priced but the photos that you can buy are way too expensive.

Great trip included fishing and rafting. Our guide Tucker was the best and made the trip awesome…read more The communication and directions were fantastic. Will come back.

Our guide was very respectful, knowledgeable, and hospitable. The snacks and drinks were generously…read moreportioned and sweetly labeled with our names, which was a nice personal touch. We rode the scenic section of the Clark Fork and it was so peaceful that 3 hours didn't seem long enough!

This company is amazing. They take care of you the whole time. Noah was so amazing with our group…read moreof 10 and had so much information to share with us during our ride. Go for the root beer float. It's amazing. Can't wait to go again.

Awesome tour! I was visiting Missoula and knew a food tour was a great way to learn more about the…read moretown. I was so happy to find one and it did not disappoint! I learned so much about Missoula and felt even more comfortable with the downtown as we walked to all the various restaurants on our tour. Jocelyn is the owner and tour guide of Taste of Missoula, and she has done a fantastic job curating a memorable adventure for her guests. We got to learn more about the town as we walked to our next food sampling. Jocelyn would recommend restaurants to try if we were in the mood for this or that (ice cream, breakfast, etc) and made sure we got try a variety of foods and drinks on this tour. I would highly recommend and would definitely do this again!

My husband & I live in Missoula and we wanted to give my parents a unique experience when they came…read moreto visit from out of state. We decided to try the Taste of Missoula food tours and it was the BEST decision. As we walked between locations our guide, Jocelyn, shared insider tips and history about Missoula. As someone who has live here for 15 years and my husband who was raised here we learned so many new things about our community's history. At each location we had delicious food & drinks! Restaurant staff (primarily the owners) came and spent time talking with us which made the tour feel even more special. Jocelyn helped make this a memory for the family books! She was absolutely amazing! My parents could not stop talking about the tour for days afterwards. Highly recommend!!

As a solo traveler, I was excited to add this to my Montana itinerary. However, the online…read moreticketing system requires a minimum of two per party. Solo zipline enthusiasts are NOT permitted.

This place was SO MUCH FUN! The owners are really good people and make the experience even better…read more The zip lines were awesome and there's even a ground walk along for non riders which is important to those of us still living in the land of littles. Everyone had a great time and now it's a must do when in tow

We took the Anaconda cruise and it was beyond amazing. The entire crew and the guides were just so…read morewonderful. Eric and Kevin ( the two guides) went far beyond their duties as guides. We had people in our group with food allergies and the kitchen staff did an absolute wonderful job keeping that in mind. Each and every item was delicious. The staff kept the entire ship sparking. They received us with hand towels after every excursion. I highly recommend Adventure Life esp. Jess and Petchie.

The prices are better than anywhere else. However, l was treated badly by 2 different managers. I…read morereturned a can of crab meat l bought that swelled up. I had receipt showing l bought it the day before but she kept arguing, should have received a big apology as we know if l didn't know better and ate it at minimum would have gotten severly ill. She finally agreed to a food voucher. She was incredibly rude about it. When l took the food voucher back in what l bought didn't cover full amount of voucher. The cashier (felt sorry for him as he was nice manager mean to him as well) wasn't allowed to cash voucher. Manager came over in an incredibly mean rude voice told me no change not even in a voucher just take the loss. I didn't left what was already rang up and got more produce. It didn't have to be that way. So prices are good, employees okay, managers (2 of them) suck!