Helena Today : Page 2.gif)
 |
| Last
Chance Gulch Mall |
For
someone new to Helena, though, it’s easy to miss
this pedestrian mall. To find it, make a point of driving
up the road called Last Chance Gulch. Where the road ends,
the pedestrian mall begins, so just find a place to park
(less than easy in Helena, admittedly) and start walking.
The best place to park to see the downtown (much of the parking
is reserved parking during the day) is on the SW end of either
Cruise Avenue or Park Avenue, in case you’re wondering.
While
you’re visiting downtown Helena, another neat
place to see is the historic fire tower. This historic fire
kept watch over town for many years, looking for forest fires
that were frequent up in the nearby mountains. The fire tower
is easy to find from downtown Helena – it sits up on
top of the canyon hill to the SE of the downtown area. By
taking the short walk up to the fire tower from downtown,
you can also get a nice view of Helena and the downtown historic
district.
 |
| Mt.
Helena Seen from the Helena Firetower |
And,
if you’re really into views of Helena, make a
point of driving up to the Mt. Helena City Park. Mt. Helena
is the small mountain that rises just outside of town. The
city turned much of this mountain into a protected park.
Going up to the park and then taking the one minute hike
up to the knob by the parking area provides excellent views
of all of Helena, including the broad, expansive valley that
lies to the east of town. It’s an easy drive up to
the park, if you can find the sign that points the way off
of Park Avenue (drive past the downtown area – heading
SW – and you will see the sign. You know you went too
far if the road you are on cuts into a deep canyon!).
The
state capitol buildings are also, of course, well worth
seeing. The building and the surrounding law area is very
attractive and well maintained, although at the time of my
last visit the front stairs to the building were falling
apart. Tours are available of the state capitol as well.
Now, if only I could figure out why they built this ungodly
ugly building right next door to the capitol building – eating
up much of the lawn on the south side of the capitol, not
to mention being an eyesore.
For
those of you into shopping, Helena does have a small mall.
The malls, as well as the other shopping centers in
town, are located in the vicinity of the Interstate highway.
This area also plays host to most of the hotels and motels
in Helena as well (see our listings of Helena
Hotels and Motels).
Next
Page : Helena Location
and More Information
Top
of Page
|
