In a Jan. 21 eNewsletter The Trust for Public Land offered “eight places to savor the season,” and among the greatly diversified locations was Montana’s Swan Valley. Recommendations for seasonal fun also include Maine, Florida, Arizona, California and Colorado. Here is what the TPL says about the Swan Valley:

     In northwestern Montana, the Swan Valley stretches from the Mission Mountains to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex—an expanse of lakes, ponds, marshes, and streams that together support a riot of wildlife, from mule deer to moose. Come winter, the landscape is swallowed by snow, and another mammal—the sled dog—takes center stage. A number of “mushers” operate businesses in the area, their teams of dogs pulling tourists over miles of terrain. The Trust for Public Land, working with other conservation groups, has protected thousands of acres in and around the Swan Valley. (The effort was part of the 310,000-acre Montana Legacy Project, one of the largest conservation undertakings in American history.) Among the dogsled tour operators in the area is Base Camp Bigfork. [Explore our work in Montana.]

 A teacher leads an after-school class in ecology on a snowshoeing adventure in the Swan Valley, MT.  Photo Credit: © Ted Wood