Montana
Must See the Natural Bridge Falls near Big Timber, Montana
Nature is my church, and I keep the Sabbath holy.
After a long week with a July 4th holiday, I treated myself to a road trip and hike to the Natural Bridge Falls on the Boulder River south of Big Timber.
While the actual rushing water and gorge and forest were all natural, the trailheads and lookouts have been developed to a Tolkien Elvish pristine. You wonder if Gandalf the wizard or a Hobbit would appear. The paved paths were edged with stacked rocks. A wooden bridge spanned the Boulder to the other side where the dirt path began.
Credit: Travis Lee, TSM
The river itself crashed underneath then falls into the rock. A short way’s farther shows the water cascading into a level basin for less than a hundred yards before the continued falling down the gorge.
The beginning dirt trail is quite gentle and easily traversed by kids. The green foliage can make the track really narrow. The morning air in the sunshine has a warm pine and earth smell, while the shade is appreciably cooler.
There is a Canyon Bottom Access trail to get where the river pours out of the rock, but that is the real challenge. Have a walking stick handy. This switchback trail is much steeper and rockier, and if a little muddy is much trickier. A real strain on the knees. The signs say Do Not Cut Across Switchbacks and they mean it; the slope down is steeper than 45 degrees with rocks at the long bottom. A slip and fall will definitely hurt you.
Credit: Travis Lee, TSM
Take your time and pick your way down carefully, and you can get to about 25 yards from the falls safely. The roar of water fills the air.
If you can’t risk the Canyon Access trail, no loss; the overhang lookouts provide all the majesty on gentle paths and stone stairs on top of the gorge ridge.
How to Get to Natural Bridge Falls
Exit the interstate at Big Timber, cruise 1st Street to McLeod which is also Highway 289. Turn south and follow it all the way to the pavement’s end. Do not turn off of the road at all.
289 is a narrow, winding, 2-lane road so slow down and enjoy the drive. You will pass farms and modern homesteads in a sweeping basin of countryside. There are a couple bumpy patches of highway with warning signs, so both hands on the wheel.
Watch for the signs that verify you are on the right road. The Natural Falls trailhead will be to the left just before the pavement end. If you start driving on gravel, you have gone just a bit too far.
It’s a little over an hour and a half to drive there from Billings, but it is a great expedition for the day. Enjoy in the little Adventure.
Credit: Travis Lee, TSM
Where’s Waldo Time! Can you spot the rock climber in this picture? Credit: Travis Lee, TSM
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Montana
Griz outlast power outage, surge to big win – University of Montana Athletics
Montana reached the 100-point mark for the third time this season, winning 102-46 over the Salish Kootenai Bison. The Grizzlies improved to 6-5 on the season with the win.
As a team, Montana shot 70.5 from the floor and 44.0 percent from three-point range. It’s the first time since 1968 that Montana has shot over 70 percent from the floor in a game. It’s also the 5th best shooting percentage by a D-I team this season.
Money Williams had a double-double, his third of the season, finishing with 10 points and 11 assists. It’s the second time in Williams’ career that he has finished with 10 assists in a single game.
He wasn’t the only Grizzly to reach double figures in the assist department. Tyler Isaak recorded his first career double-double with a new career high 10 assists to go along with 16 points. It’s the first time in program history that two different players have recorded 10 or more assists in the same game.
It was a highly efficient night for Isaak, who played just 24 minutes and went 6-of-7 from the floor.
It was a complete team effort for Montana with 10 of the 11 players dressed scoring in the contest. Connor Dick (15) and Amari Jedkins (13) both scored career highs in the victory.
The Missoula kid can get 🆙#GrizHoops | @ConnorDick9 pic.twitter.com/YOg1yczxKD
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 11, 2025
The Grizzlies had seven players reach double figures, the most in a single game in program history. Te’Jon Sawyer (13), Brooklyn Hicks (13), and Tyler Thompson (11) joined the previously four mentioned players in double figures.
The assists played a big role in that with Montana sharing the ball plenty. They recorded 30 team assists on the night, the second most in a game in program history. The Grizzlies had a 5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the night.
alley oop ☝️➡️👇 pic.twitter.com/xRz6XC0yyQ
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 11, 2025
The Grizzlies held Salish Kootenai to just 27 percent shooting and a 6-of-30 (.200) mark from three-point range. Montana’s size played a huge factor on the night as the Grizzlies outrebounded the Bison 47-25 and outscored them 60-20 in the paint.
Montana scored 16 points off dunks as they broke out into the open court on several occasions for highlight reel slams. They also owned a 22-0 advantage in fastbreak points.
Montana jumped out to a 13-2 lead before the first media timeout and never looked back in win. They set the tone early from the three-point line, opening the game 4-of-7 from the arc to help build the early lead.
It was a balanced first half offensively and the Griz were able to go on five individual runs of at least six straight points with nine different players scoring in the opening 20 minutes. The Grizzlies went 8-of-17 from the arc and shot 65.5 percent from the field in the first half.
Williams’ 8th assist of the opening half went to Amari Jedkins. The Grizzly forward knocked down a corner three to send Montana into the halftime break ahead 50-17.
8th assist of the first half from @mxney___ as he finds Amari Jedkins for the corner three to send us into the half 🔥 pic.twitter.com/UO9WGlnDeh
— Montana Griz Basketball (@MontanaGrizBB) December 11, 2025
The Grizzlies didn’t let up in the second half, going on two separate 12-0 runs and winning the second period 52-29 for the big victory.
Montana will get a week off before returning home next Wednesday night to face Montana Tech at 7:00 p.m. The Orediggers are 8-3 on the season.
Montana
Live Updates: Montana State leads SFA 7-0 in the first quarter
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Montana
Frigid Friday – several inches of snow in parts of the area
A band of moderate snow has formed from the Cut Bank area, extending southeast across Chouteau, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties. Be alert for low visibility and slick road conditions. Icy conditions continue in Lewis & Clark and Broadwater counties, where snow fell on top of ice after some freezing rain overnight. Up to a 1/4″ of ice has been reported on cars and sidewalks. Freezing rain may mix in again this morning as milder air begins to move back in.
Today’s Forecast:
Frigid Friday, several inches of snowfall in parts of the area-Friday, December 12
It will be a frigid today, with high temperatures in the 0s and lower 10s across central and eastern Montana, and mid to upper 30s in Helena.
The snow band will continue throughout the day, bringing several inches of snow to areas east of I-15. The band of snow will gradually push east tonight, impacting Blaine, Phillips, and Valley counties overnight. Snow showers taper off by Saturday morning.
MTN News
MTN News
Expect difficult driving conditions through Saturday morning, especially east of I-15 and into the mountains.
Arctic air slowly retreats north on Saturday. Temperatures start off in the -10s to near 0 on the Hi-Line and in the 0s for central Montana, then climb to the 0s and 10s for the Hi-Line and 10s to 20s in central Montana by Saturday evening.
Meanwhile, it will be a pleasant weekend in Helena with temperatures in the low 40s. A gusty breeze develops on Sunday, as temperatures warm nicely into the low to mid 40s in central Montana and into the 30s in northeast Montana.
Looking ahead to next week, mild and windy conditions kick off the workweek, followed by active weather returning midweek.
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