Museum of the Mountain West

Fascinating to see the collection from one man’s lifetime! Indoor and outdoor exhibits on display. I encourage a guided tour to get the most of your visit to the museum. Enjoyed this stop!!

My Wife and I had a great time here, everyone was extremely nice. The way this Museum is set up really walks you through the times and places of the past. The knowledgeable tour guide (I recommend the all take the tour to get the full experience) introduced us to many facts that were previously unknown. Had a great chat with the owner. He’s been collecting for lots of years and is a very respectable person. We’ll be back for sure. If you’re into the History of the Old West. This is the place for you.

The Museum of the Mountain West was one of our best stops. We met the owner Richard Fike, who talked to us about how he started collecting items at age 4. He is now 83. His collection of old western artifacts is unbelievable. The tour guide Jim Wendt was an excellent guide. A must see if you're ever near Montrose, Colorado 😁

If you’re on the fence about visiting this museum, *definitely* do it, and *definitely* get the guided tour! This was an unexpectedly fantastic and amazing museum! Our family really enjoyed our time here. I would 100% recommend getting the guided tour for a few more dollars - you learn so much more and go in many of the buildings you can’t go in on a self-guided tour. Jim was SO knowledgeable and we went early in the morning (about 8:30/9am on a Wednesday) and ended up having a private tour for about 1.5 hours. Jim knows SO much about everything and had an answer for every single one of our many questions about the artifacts. I thought this was going to be more of a “road side attraction” type place, but it turns out Mr. Fike, the collector/curator of all of the items, is an actual renowned archaeologist and everything is historically accurate and original. It’s like stepping back in time and seeing things exactly how they were in the late 1800s. Plan on spending at least two hours here for the guided tour + time after to walk around and see the additional buildings. If you like to read everything and are interested in history, you might want to spend more time than that - there is a lot of very cool stuff to see (including a hunted house!)

amazing museum. Highly recommend going for the guided tour, we had Jim as our tour guide. Full of knowledge and answered all our questions. We even got to have a chat with the man who started and owns the museum. Much more personable than your usual museums.

A must see if you want to travel back in time! My fiancé and I stopped here and took the self guided tour and it was absolutely amazing. Everyone who we spoke to with MMW was incredibly kind and eager to answer any questions about the museum and it’s pieces. You can tell there is a deserved pride and passion with everyone on the MMW team. We even had a chance to meet the man behind it all, Richard Fike! Most of the buildings outside are even the original structures from the late 1800s- early 1900s and reconstructed on site! There is so much to see here with lots of information at every stop to give a new appreciation for everything it includes. Highly recommend and would definitely return! Thank you!

The kids really enjoyed being able to go into all the different buildings outdoors, and they had lots of questions about the items on display indoors and out. Even without a tour, they learned plenty and enjoyed the freedom to explore. We adults appreciated the care that went into collecting and arranging the displays both in the surprisingly extensive indoor facades (two little streets worth) and in the historical buildings outdoors, as well as the stories behind the preserved structures. We spent about an hour-and-a-half browsing through local history here. Prices for adults were pretty standard ($15 with tour, $12.50 without), and kids 6-17 were only $5.

Such an impressive collection! I enjoyed seeing all the exhibits and the attention to detail was super fascinating! The volunteer staff were clearly passionate about what they do and my kids enjoyed learning about life in the old west. Highly recommend to anyone visiting the area!

Not much of A history buff, but this museum had alot of antiques and I would recommend that you visit this place if you have the chance!!

We've gone once a year as we've been able, and there is always something new to see. Knowledgeable and friendly guides, with the option to not take the guided tour as well. This collection is fantastic and you can miss something easily, so multiple trips is really what it takes to get a true appreciation for what's been amassed. Original buildings that have been moved, etc. Great trip for kids and adults alike.

Yeah I'd say this is a don't miss. Just so much of interest collected over a lifetime by an archeologist of good repute. You might even meet the gentleman himself. Even if you do a self guided tour be sure to at least listen to their brief talk at the beginning. What a collection. Wow we were impressed.

This was one of the most amazing museums I have ever been in. Our host Jim was truly extraordinary. We spent about two hours here and could have spent an entire day.. The stop was not planned but I sure i'm glad we made time.. The collection was absolutely extraordinary..

Full disclosure, I volunteer as a docent every Saturday at the museum. So, my input is a bit biased. That said, I still believe it is one of the best museums I have ever been around.

This was a spur of the moment stop along our road trip. We circled back to see what this place was about and were just in time to join the next tour group. Everyone that worked there just seemed really amazingly friendly. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and thorough! The tour ended up being about 3 hours! And there was still so much to look at but we had to get on the road. I would definitely recommend it to anyone that loves antiques and old buildings. All the buildings are authentic and were carefully refurbished. This whole thing was put together by one man who started his collection of antiques at age 4! The collection is quite large and curated well! It was really enjoyable and we appreciated it a lot! It was well worth the price of admission!

We have traveled this nation extensively and we love to visit museums. This is one of the most extensive and complete collections of Western America we have seen. The buildings, artifacts, knowledgeable and kind guides and learning environment is incredible. Our children were just as enthralled as we were by the wide variety of antiques and history lessons. We are big history buffs, but learned and saw so much! This is a absolute must-see stop! Worth a trip to Montrose simply for this museum alone. We feel lucky we “stumbled” upon it!

Incredibly lovely and vast museum with original collections and buildings (transferred in situ) with well thought through living situations. Lovely staff and all run through donations and the entry fee. Well worth a long stroll!

Great museum with memorabilia from the American West. Get the guided tour, the tour guide is wonderful!

What a fantastic place. These exhibits aren't just a small taste of the past, it's a complete scene by scene. I've never seen anything put together so completely. Super nice friendly and amazing tour.

This placed definitely exceeded our expectations! I loved the artifacts presented inside and thought the guided tour was very well done (self-guided tours are not allowed). The guides are dressed in period clothing and ours (a young lady) was very knowledgeable. She adapted the tour to meet our timeframe (1 hour) but still provided all the information. A typical tour takes about 2 hours. The out buildings were great and provide a unique view into the past. This was a complete impulse decision (saw it while driving by on our way to black canyon) but we were all glad we checked it out. Costs $10 for adults and $5 for children.

Can not say enough about this collection!!! Words can not express the trip back in time you take. From the inside stores to the outdoor buildings that you can explore, there is so much to take in. Collection upon collection that makes up this spectacular display. The people that volunteer and operate this museum are caring and one of a kind. June treated us like Gold when we were there and we can’t say enough about her! 5 stars is not enough!