The Bitterroot Valley’s sole sizeable town, Hamilton (pop. 3,705) stands at the southern end of the valley, where US-93 and the East Side Highway rejoin. Hamilton was laid out in the 1890s as a planned community by the multimillionaire “Copper King” Marcus Daly. Daly’s elegant 42-room Georgian mansion, now a museum (daily in summer; $6, 406/363-6004), is set in 50 acres of lushly landscaped gardens ($1).

  Hamilton’s other main draw is the large Ravalli County Museum (closed Tues., Wed.; free; 406/363-3338), housed in a 100-year-old former courthouse on the corner of 3rd and Bedford, two blocks south of Main Street. Besides an above-average collection of fishing flies, pioneer clothing, and Native American artifacts, the museum has an entire room dedicated to Rocky Mountain spotted fever ticks—Hamilton, home of the Rocky Mountain National Laboratory, was where the spotted fever was discovered—and you owe it to yourself to study the 2-foot-tall tick model and the diagrams tracing the tick’s life cycle.

  Hamilton has some great places to eat, like the very popular Coffee Cup Cafe and the newer Mangy Moose, both on US-93 on the south side of town. The more upscale Banque (406/363-1955) serves steaks in an old bank at 225 W. Main Street. The best burgers are at Nap’s Grill, 220 N. 2nd Street.

  One of many highway motels in Hamilton, the Best Western Hamilton ($60–80; 406/363-2142) is on US-93 at 409 S. 1st Street. Besides its convenience as a stopover, Hamilton is also the gateway to outdoor activities (hunting, fishing, and riding, mainly) in the Bitterroots; for details, contact the visitors center (406/363-2400) at 105 E. Main Street.