Explore the land of the great horizons
Billings, Montana’s biggest city, is a great place to start exploring the state. It’s an urban city with modern infrastructure close to natural wonders and important historic sites. It is next to the Yellowstone River and the famous Rimrocks, which are large sandstone outcroppings.
Need to have fun in the great outdoors
Start your trip through Big Sky Country at Swords Rimrock Park. From there, you can take walks to cliffs that look out over the river and see views of the mountains. You can also visit beautiful historic sites like Skeleton Cliff and Boothill Cemetery. Pictograph Cave State Park is south of town. There you can find the Pictograph, Middle, and Ghost caves. In ancient times, hunters lived in these caves. Take a hike up Kelly Mountain to see where Yellowstone Kelly’s grave is. Cross the Beartooth Highway, which goes from Red Lodge to Yellowstone National Park through a beautiful pass. Billings is only 60 miles away. Then take the scenic drive past the Rimrocks outcroppings to get a great view of the Yellowstone River, which is the biggest naturally flowing river in the United States.
Exploring the city
You can learn about the people who lived in the Yellowstone Valley and the Northern Plains at the Western Heritage Center. You can find works that aren’t on show at the Yellowstone Art Museum by going into the vault. Visit ZooMontana with your family. It is a park with animals and plants. You can see more than 15,000 items for free at the Yellowstone County Museum. And go to the 12,000-seat Rimrock Auto Arena to see a show or music. Would you like to spend more time outside? Go to Lake Elmo State Park, a 25-acre city park where you can hike, boat, windsurf, swim, fish, and have lunch.
You can learn more about Billings’s history by taking tours of its many historic sites. Start at Moss Mansion, where you’ll learn how the city was formed. A walking tour of six breweries and two craft distilleries, such as Yellowstone Valley Brewing Company/Spirit of Montana Distilling, Angry Hank’s, and Montana Brewing Company, is a fun self-guided trip.
Beyond Billings
From Billings, it only takes an hour to get to Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, the site of the famous Battle of the Little Bighorn. This is a sobering and educational way to learn about the area’s past. It will only take you 40 minutes to get to Chief Plenty Coups State Park. An important spring and the chief’s log house can be found in this state park, which is on the Crow Indian Reservation. Visit Pompey Pillar National Monument, which is close by and has a sandstone rock feature that stands out in Yellowstone. There is also an interpretation center at the spot that tells the story of Captain William Clark’s expedition. The East Pryor and Big Pryor Mountains make up the Pryor Mountains range. You can go through a dry red desert and then up to woods and meadows where more than 200 animal species and nearly 1,000 plant species live.
Of course, no trip to Billings would be complete without a visit to Yellowstone National Park, which is only 100 miles away. Lastly, see the famous hot springs, geysers, mountains, woods, and lakes in person.