Hotels in Helena

There's no shortage of good accommodations in Helena, with a bevy of historic inns and a number of business-oriented hotels and motels that cater to traveling politicos of all stripes. Aside from the options discussed below, you might try the Holiday Inn Helena Downtown, 22 N. Last Chance Gulch (tel. 406/443-2200), a seven-story brick edifice with double rates of $119 to $199. The Fairfield Inn of Helena, 2150 11th Ave. (tel. 800/228-2800 or 406/449-9944), is another good option, with doubles for $85 to $120 and an indoor pool. Elkhorn Mountain Inn, 1 Jackson Creek Rd., Montana City, at I-15, exit 187 (tel. 866/442-6625 or 406/442-6625; www.elkhorninn.com), is a top-drawer mom-and-pop just south of Helena with a double rate of $65 to $75.

Camping -- Twenty miles west of town, Kim's Marina and RV Resort, 8015 Canyon Ferry Rd., Helena, MT 59601 (tel. 406/475-3723; www.kimsmarina.com), has a complete resort facility that includes comfortable cabins situated on the lakefront. Canoes, deck boats, and paddle boats are for rent on a daily basis. You'll find rental cabins ($90 nightly) along with 50 tent and 60 RV sites ($15-$27), as well as tennis, horseshoes, and boat rentals.

For more primitive sites, the Bureau of Reclamation and Bureau of Land Management jointly run several campgrounds between Townsend in the south and Helena along U.S. 287 at Canyon Ferry Lake. From south to north, they are: Indian Road Recreation Area (1 mile north of Townsend on U.S. 287, mile marker 75), Silos (7 miles north of Townsend on U.S. 287, mile marker 70), and White Earth Campground (13 miles north of Townsend on U.S. 287 to Winston, mile marker 64). The Indian Road Recreation Area offers a fishing pond for children and visitors with disabilities.