Ocean front property in Custer Country? Sure, if you lived here 200 million years ago! Most of Montana was once a vast inland ocean, where creatures like the Apatosaurus, the Brontosaurus, and other prehistoric giants came to live out their lives. As the ocean disappeared, the places where the dinosaurs died were covered with silt, rock and sand, which led to the preservation of their bones, just waiting for discovery by scientists today.

Because of this long-ago ocean, Montana is today one of the premier locations for studying the existence of these prehistoric beasts. Important discoveries are made every year by scientists and trained amateurs who sometimes spend years trying to unearth the fossilized remains of long-extinct species. Some of the most exciting and important finds in the field of paleontology have been made in Montana, and many of them right in Custer Country

Visitors now have one more great reason to explore Custer Country — the Montana Dinosaur Trail, which links 15 facilities in central and eastern Montana that feature unique dinosaur exhibits and programs. It is a trail you can follow to see not only the wide variety of fossils and skeletons of these creatures, but also the rugged landscape their remains are found in today. In addition, you might even be lucky enough to participate in a dig at one of the locations along the trail. (Since, there are strict rules about the excavation, removal and handling of fossils, it is recommended that you seek out expert supervision.)

Three of the stops along the trail are in Custer Country. The first is at the Carter County Museum in Ekalaka, Montana’s first county museum. It is home to a full-size Anatotitan-Copei skeleton, the largest of the duck-billed dinosaurs, and one of only three such complete specimens in the world.

The other two stops are in Glendive, Montana. Makoshika (ma-ko’ she ka) State Park is a great place to learn where and how dinosaurs lived during the last centuries of their existence on Earth. The Visitors Center in the park houses exhibits and information about that long-ago period of time.

In downtown Glendive, you can visit the new Makoshika Dinosaur Museum, which houses fossils from the Hell Creek Formation and from around the world.

From Custer Country, you can continue up to the Fort Peck Interpretive Center, a newly-constructed attraction where you can not only learn about dinosaurs, but also about the animal and marine life that followed them.

The trail continues westward through central Montana and includes visits to the Museum of the Rockies in Bozeman, the Phillips County Museum in Malta, and many other places.

So, come join us in Custer Country to begin your journey of a lifetime on the Montana Dinosaur Trail.