The dining room at the Sacajawea Hotel (Main St. and Ash St., 406/285-6515 or 888/722-2529, www.sacajaweahotel.com, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. daily, lunch $6–9, dinner entrées $17–25, bar menu 5:30–8:30 Wed.–Sat., $5–12) is a classy but laid-back place, with reliable if not particularly inspired meals. It’s a pleasant place for I-90 travelers to take a break for lunch. The bar scene is comfortable, with a wide range of generally friendly locals and travelers. The bar is a reclaimed bridge trestle that was originally part of a bridge that spanned the Great Salt Lake.

At the Willow Creek Café & Saloon (six miles southwest of Three Forks in Willow Creek, 406/285-3698, 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Tues.–Sun., 8 a.m.–9 p.m. Sun., dinner $6–21), the food is a cut above what you’d expect to find out here, and both the restaurant and the bar are easy spots in which to while away a couple of hours. Locals think nothing of driving for miles to eat barbecued ribs at Willow Creek. Next door to the restaurant, the Willow Creek Gallery is worth a visit.

Just off I-90 at the Three Forks exit, stop at Wheat Montana (406/285-3614, 6 a.m.–8 p.m. daily, sandwiches $6–7) for anything from a muffin to a deli sandwich to a giant bucket of flour or a loaf of bread. This is one of several retail outlets for a large local wheat farm, which sells their chemical- and pesticide-free wheat nationwide.

Thanks to the fact that Montanans will go out of their way for a good charbroiled steak, Logan’s Land of Magic Dinner Club (11060 Front St., 406/284-3794, 5–9 p.m. nightly, reservations recommended, $14–29), housed in a great old log building six miles east of Three Forks, has been pulling in customers for more than 25 years. Aside from the steaks, the Land of Magic is known for its shrimp, its duck à l’orange, and its wine list. Come prepared to work your way through relish tray, soup, salad or shrimp cocktail, potato, bread, and ice cream in addition to your entrée.