Historic
Sites - Broadwater County is home
to many ghost towns from the gold rush era. There are numerous historic
building that attract tourists to the area including the Canyon
Ferry Mansion and the Canton Church. Earlier inhabitants left
their mark as well with ancient teepee rings, buffalo jumps and
hieroglyphs. Some other sites have been calculated at over 10,000
years old.
Lewis and Clark visited our area and some of the
interesting sites they wrote about include the Crimson Bluffs and
York island. |
Historic Canton Church,
Photo Provided by Mia Whitfield |
Bird
and Animal Watching - The Canyon
Ferry wildlife management area is located in Broadwater County.
It is home to hundreds of species of birds including bald eagles,
great horned owls, herons, ospreys, pelicans, yellow warblers, geese
and a variety of duck species.
Big game abounds and can be viewed in many areas
in the county. In the mountains you will even find big horn sheep
and mountain goats for your viewing pleasure. |
| Hiking
and Horseback Riding - The U.S. Forest
service maintains a variety of hiking and horseback riding trails
in Broadwater County. There are many opportunities for loop trails
or destination hikes. Terrain in the area goes from river bottoms
at an elevation of around 3800 feet to subalpine areas of 9400 feet.
These trails lead you through a wide variety of country side including
valley bottoms and mountain meadows as well as dense and subalpine
forests. Some trails even lead you to pristine mountain lakes and
streams |
| Water
Sports - The rivers in Broadwater County
offer scenic byways for rafting, kayaking, and canoeing. Canyon Ferry
Lake provides boating, water-skiing, and sailing opportunities in
the summer and ice yachting in the winter. |
Summer outdoor recreation on
Canyon Ferry Lake, Photo Provided by Gay Grimsrud
|
Fishing
- The Missouri and Jefferson Rivers
run through Broadwater County as well as various creeks and streams.
Sports fishermen catch rainbow, brown trout and brook trout. In
the pristine high mountain lakes fishermen find the native west-slope
cutthroat. Canyon Ferry Lake is home to lunker rainbows, brown trout,
perch, ling and walleye. Canyon lake is open for year round fishing. |
Hunting-
Broadwater County is home to many species
including elk, moose, whitetail and mule deer, antelope, bear, mountain
lion, upland birds and waterfowl.
Local hunters enjoy the easy access to public lands
and the long and varied hunting seasons. Some start the season in
September with archery hunting for elk and deer or upland birds
and doves. In October they move onto antelope, waterfowl and pheasants.
November brings the general big game season for deer and elk. Upland
bird hunting closes the middle of December but waterfowl hunters
enjoy duck and goose hunting well into January |
Winter
Sports - Broadwater County is centrally
located to a variety of downhill ski resorts. There are four ski
areas within 60 miles; Big Sky, Bridger Bowl, Great Divide and Showdown.
Cross county skiing and snowmobiling are popular in the back country. |
Campgrounds
and City Parks - Many campgrounds
and picnic sites can be found along Canyon Ferry Lake and the Missouri
River as well as on the National Forest Service land. In the city
of Townsend there are several parks including Heritage Fun Park
which contains the city's outdoor swimming pool.
Community
Events - The residents of Broadwater
County have many events and celebrations they participate in throughout
the year. Some of these include the County Fair and local and NRA
Rodeo, the July Festival Car and Quilt Show, the Christmas Stroll
and the ice fishing derbies. |
Heritage Fun Park, Photo Provided
by Mia Whitfield
|