Ennis sits in the middle of the Madison Valley — a wide, flat stretch of ranching country about sixty miles long, hemmed in to the east by the Madison Range and to the west by the Gravelly Range. Driving north or south on Highway 287 puts you in some of the most spectacular open country in Montana: cattle and elk in the meadows, the river winding through the middle, and snow on the peaks well into June.
Several conservation easements have kept large stretches of the valley from being subdivided into ranchettes, which means the views are essentially what they were a hundred years ago. Pull off at any of the unmarked turnouts for a picnic; bring a long lens if you have one, because the wildlife is shy but plentiful.