Prairie County Between Badlands and History

Colorful, banded cliffs and views across rolling prairie define the Terry Badlands. The Terry Badlands Wilderness Study Area (WSA) is in Prairie County, three miles northwest of Terry. Here, you can make nature, routes, and cultural history different focal points of your trip.

Badlands and Hiking Trails

The cliffs of the Terry Badlands WSA offer views across rolling prairie. The Bureau of Land Management lists hiking, backcountry hunting, and collecting rocks and fossils among the activities in the WSA. The Natural Bridges Trail and its trailhead are also within the area. The hike from the trailhead to the natural bridges is a little over a mile long and is described as relatively easy to moderate.

Getting to the trailhead is part of the planning: first, you must drive the Calypso Trail in a four-wheel-drive vehicle. This unpaved road is five and a half miles long and leads to the scenic Terry Badlands. The Bureau of Land Management recommends a four-wheel-drive vehicle for the Calypso Trail.

Terry as a Reference Point for Routes

Terry is where old Highway 10 meets Highway 253, not far from Interstate 94. From Interstate 94 at Terry, the route to the Terry Scenic View overlook follows Highway 253 and the unpaved Scenic View Road. The overlook is on the edge of the WSA. Road conditions can change; check them before you drive.

The 105-mile Big Sky Back Country Byway provides another point of reference: it begins in Terry and ends in Wolf Point. It follows a year-round road through scenic badlands. In Terry, a kiosk provides information about features of the byway as well as local history and culture. The Yellowstone Trail runs through Prairie County from Mildred via Fallon and Terry, then west to Miles City. These routes offer different scales for planning, from driving through the badlands to finding your way between towns in the county.

Cultural History and Places in Terry

History can also be explored at a variety of sites. Historical resources in the Terry Badlands WSA include graffiti made by U.S. Army troops in the 19th century at Sheridan Butte. In Terry, the Prairie County Museum and Evelyn Cameron Gallery is another place to visit: the Prairie County Museum opened in 1975 in the historic State Bank of Terry building, which dates to 1916. Visits outside regular opening hours or out of season can be arranged by contacting the museum in advance.

Evelyn Cameron documented frontier life with photographs and daily diary entries after moving to Prairie County with her husband. Evelyn Cameron Heritage holds more than 900 of her original historical photographs of the American West. Terry also hosts the annual Lady Cameron Heritage Celebrations, a major cultural tourism event. Check current event dates before you travel.

Other stops tell stories of different eras and structures. The first phase of construction on Grandey School was completed in 1908; its history is closely tied to Charles William Grandey. The Powder River Bridge was built in 1946 and is 633 feet long. It crosses the Powder River about one mile southeast of its confluence with the Yellowstone River and is on the Lewis and Clark Trail, approximately seven miles southwest of Terry, the county seat.

For a break in Terry, Murn Park has a swimming pool, playground equipment, picnic areas, a large covered gathering space, and a historic bandstand. So, in addition to landscapes and history, local parks can also be part of your plans.

Placing Destinations on the Map

If you’re looking for a hotel in Prairie County, first decide which destinations you want to shape your stay. Terry is a useful reference point on the map: the WSA is three miles northwest, the Powder River Bridge is about seven miles southwest, and the Big Sky Back Country Byway begins in Terry. You can take the different directions and routes into account when choosing where to stay, without treating the badlands, the byway, and the bridge as a single destination.

Discover more destinations: Terry, Big Horn County, Sanders, Jefferson County, Park, Cascade, Mccone County, Valley County.

For the main trip overview: Montana.