20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Ultimate Guide to Montana. Really., August 3, 2001
This review is from: The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia (Paperback)
With a skepticism born of the east coast, my tendency upon seeing something described as "the ultimate" is a "Yeah, right" response. But in this case, they may be on to something. "The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia" by Michael Dougherty and Heidi Pfeil Dougherty is an incredible compendium of facts, stories, information, advice, suggestions and observations. The Doughertys call this book "the essential reference guide to the treasure state," and that's an accurate description.
I like to read guide books, and I have stacks of them that I've perused: of places I've been, of places I'm going, of places I'll never visit. As an inveterate reader of guide books, not to mention a traveler to some of Montana's most arcane and unusual places, as well as being a collector of trivia, information and gossip, I didn't expect there to be much in this book that I hadn't seen already. I was wrong. It was chock full of unusual and interesting information, and it was all I could do not to grab my keys, jump in the car and head for parts heretofore unknown.This book still had things to tell me.
The entry for Livingston puzzled me as I couldn't figure out what criteria had been used to give commercial establishments a big write-up or to essentially pass them by with a simple mention. A phone call to the writer-editor-publisher shed light on this mystery. Those commercial establishments that got big write ups paid for them. I'm not certain what my philosophy is about this . . . certainly Triple A does much the same. I felt better after I knew that's how the decision was made, because you can use the appropriate pinch of salt, just as you would when reading an ad. Publisher Michael Dougherty explained that this revenue greatly helped to pay for this project and certainly they would have had to have charged a lot more than thirty bucks for this book without that. Still, there are also entries that are clearly included because the Doughertys were enthralled by them, and those are the pieces that make for the most engaging reading. This guide covers everything from kitsch to class, with everything in between. For eclectic travelers it really is a treasure trove.
Because they want to make this the ultimate guide to Montana, they'd like to hear from readers about great stuff they might have missed. The Washoe Theatre in Anaconda, for instance. This was an immense project and that they manage to include as much stuff as they did, stuffed into a reasonably sized package of a book (about the size of the Spokane phone book) is quite an accomplishment. You can't fault them for missing a thing or two, and if you call them up to tell them about it, they're pleased to hear about it, and will include it in future revisions.
The guide is stuffed with detailed maps, mile by mile information for all Montana State and Federal Highways as well as information on Dining (1796 restaurants), lodging (685 motels, 150 guest ranches, 200 bed and breakfasts) 350 campgroudns, 96 forest service cabins, shopping, auto services, hiking (255 hikes) and fishing( 225 sites), Lewis and Clark information (140 points of interest), scenic drives, adventure, entertainment, area information, local history, roadside geology, 270 outfitters, quick reference guides, 71 public golf courses, 25 hot springs, 200 historical markers, 65 scenic drives, 50 ghost towns, 700 annual festivals and events, 40 rodeos, 31 ski areas, and a partridge in a pear tree. Just kidding about the partridge.
Essays on a variety of subjects pepper the volume, including such fascinating topics as the Frontier Cattle Industry, Lewis and Clark, the history of Butte, Kid Curry and the Wild Bunch, a great section on Ingomar (including, if you will, a "bed and breakfast") the Indians and Fort Union, the Nez Perce war, the Bozeman cemetery and the Pryor Mountain Horse herd as well as all sorts of interesting Montana trivia like: the area surrounding the Yellowstone down around Colstrip was once home to one of the largest herds of bison in North American, more than a million and a half animals. Did you know that Petroleum County, the last county established in Montana in 1925, is also the smallest in population with only 518 people? Or that Alzada, Montana is closer to the Texas panhandle than it is to Yaak, Montana? From the town in the southeast to the town in the northwest is 800 miles, or a 12 hour drive.
In any case whether you're traveling from Alzada to Zortman, or Glacier to Yellowstone, or Scobey to the Monida pass, or just hitting the highlights as you speed through on Interstate 90, "The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Guide" makes an excellent traveling companion and earns the space you give it behind the seat of the truck, in the glove box, the map pocket or under the seat. An excellent find.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Must have book!!!!, October 20, 2002
This review is from: The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia (Paperback)
We love to go to Montana and in looking for a guide that wasn't run of the mill...blah...blah...blah I came across this one. At first I thought the [...]price was a little steep but I read the reviews for it and thought why not.
I only had time to glance through the book before we left on vacation. But riding in the car I could really digest my purchase. I read ahead before we came to each area we wanted to see. I read it aloud to my husband in case I missed anything that he might like to see also.
The book is wonderful. It gives you everything you may want to know and then some. So many books touch mainly on tourist trap destinations. This book touches on all of it...off the beaten path type places along with everything in between.
We love Montana and we learned so much that we didn't know. There is alot of history meshed together with the do and see parts.
This book is worth every penny. Don't just think about ordering a copy....get one!!! Ten Stars!!!!
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This is truly the ultimate book on Montana, July 12, 2001
This review is from: The Ultimate Montana Atlas and Travel Encyclopedia (Paperback)
My only criticism of this book is that it may be too much. Its as if the publishers refused to leave anything out. I am a Montana junkie and own every guidebook on Montana I have been able to find. I could have saved a lot of money if this book had been available earlier. The maps in here are better than the one the state travel bureau sent me. While they are not in color, their detail is impressive. And they are on a much larger scale than any foldout map. They are the only book I've found that has maps of towns other than the few major cities--I counted 45. The book is incredibly well organized. It is broken down into 15 regions of the state rather than the six regions that most books are divided by. The level of detail for each region is unbelievable The regions are ordered geographically with the maps as the starting point. It is very easy to look at where you are on the map and find information relevant to that immediate area. I found the information on Yellowstone and Glacier Park to be more complete than most books dedicated exclusively to them. The book is huge--as big as many phonebooks. Aside from its being the most impressive guidebook I've ever seen for any state, it is fascinating reading. It is loaded with historical tidbits, and fascinating pieces of information that you simply don't find in any of the other guidebooks. All I can say is, if you're even thinking of visiting Montana, you would be frankly dumb not to have a copy of this book. Oh and one secret the publishers for some reason are silent about--if you send in a card in the back of the book, they will send you a 32 page book of coupons with over $3,000 in discount.
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