Southwestern Montana Gem
We stayed 9 nights at the 1930s cabin in July 2018. The cabin had everything we needed for our stay and was located not far out of Alder, Montana. We were traveling as a couple and our adult child joined us for our stay in the cabin. Julie was a great host. The cabin easily accommodated 3 adults and the beds were very comfortable. The cabin is very cute and decorated nicely. We found it to be very comfortable. The weather was hot, but the cabin stayed very nice and cool, so it was enjoyable to come home to after a day of exploring the area. We really enjoyed sitting out on the deck in the evenings visiting and barbecuing. In the mornings we took some nice 3 mile walks and saw quite a few pronghorn antelope nearby every morning and some sandhill cranes. We enjoyed many activities while in the area. We brought our driftboat and did some fly fishing on the Jefferson and the Madison Rivers. (A shout out for a great reliable shuttle service in Ennis called Rocket Shuttle, all shuttles $30.) The Big Hole River was too low for our larger drift boat, so we did some fishing from the bank. We also brought our mountain bikes and found great places to ride them. The Ruby Reservoir isn't far from this cabin. We enjoyed the nearby towns of Virginia City and Nevada City quite a few days for exploring, enjoyed ice cream, Bob's Pizza, Chinese food, and the "Dawg and Grog Brewfest." We loved Ennis and visited Willie's Distillery, a great place known for their Huckleberry liqueur. The Ennis Cafe serves a great pasty for lunch and pies. Just a little something we learned about Ennis when you get off the river late, there aren't a lot of restaurants that are open later in Ennis, many are just open for breakfast and lunch. The Gravel Bar and a few others are open for dinner. Other towns to enjoy in the area are Sheridan, Twin Bridges, and Dillon. Dillon has the Beaverhead Brewery and a Patagonia Outlet. If you are new to the area check out Bannack, Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, Humbug Spires trail near Divide is a beautiful trail, Lewis and Clark Caverns, Butte historical district, Our Lady of the Rockies, and Thompson Pass Recreation are great day trips. One highlight was our all day trip to the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. We drove the loop from Alder to Lima, then over Red Rock Pass, to Henry's Lake, and back through Ennis, then back to Alder. We saw deer, elk, antelope, swans, and pelicans. There are lots of choices for any interest in the area.