Billings, Little Big Horn, and the Montana Plains
We’ve compiled the best of the best in Billings, Little Big Horn, and the Montana Plains - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
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1. Pictograph Cave State Park
Once home to prehistoric hunters, this spot has yielded more than 30,000 artifacts related to early human history. A paved 3/4-mile trail affords views of the 2,200-year-old cave paintings depicting animal and human figures; if you bring binoculars, you'll be able to appreciate better the subtle detail of the artwork. The largest cave is 160 feet wide and 45 feet deep. A visitor center, open daily in the summer, houses an interpretive area and a gift shop.
3401 Coburn Rd., Billings, Montana, 59101, USA406-254–7342Sight Details
Rate Includes: $8 for out-of-state vehicles, Closed Mon. and Tues. late Sept.--late May, May–Aug., daily 8–8; Sept.–Apr., daily 11–7 -
2. Boothill Cemetery
Atop the Rimrocks, north of downtown and adjacent to Swords Park, lie the graves of H.M. Muggins Taylor, the army scout who carried word of Custer's defeat through 180 miles of hostile territory; Western explorer Yellowstone Kelly; and several outlaws executed in territorial days. A sign tells the story of Crow warriors who blindfolded their horses before riding them off what's now known as Sacrifice Cliff in hopes that the gods would end a smallpox epidemic.
Billings, Montana, 59105, USA406-657–8371 -
3. Lake Elmo State Park
Surrounding a 64-acre reservoir in the Billings Heights area, this park is a popular spot for hiking, swimming, fishing, and nonmotorized boating. Although it's not far from downtown, the park is still wild enough to seem miles away from civilization. The regional on-site headquarters for Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks is a source of recreational information and museum-quality wildlife displays.
2400 Lake Elmo Dr., Billings, Montana, 59104, USA406-247–2940Sight Details
Rate Includes: $8 for out-of-state vehicles, Daily 5 am–10 pm. -
4. Moss Mansion Museum
Dutch architect Henry Hardenbergh, who worked on the original Waldorf-Astoria and Plaza hotels in New York City, designed this house in 1903 for businessman P.B. Moss. The mansion still contains many of the elaborate original furnishings, ranging in style from Moorish to art nouveau, which visitors can see on a self-guided tour. Don't miss the gem of a gift shop in the mansion's basement.
914 Division St., Billings, Montana, 59101, USA406-256–5100Sight Details
Rate Includes: $15, Days and hrs vary by season so call ahead, Sept.–May, Tues.–Sun. 1–3; June–Aug., Tues.–Sat. 10–3, Sun. 1–3 -
5. Pompey's Pillar National Monument
Although the route will take you slightly out of the way, take I–94 on your way to Hardin and stop at Pompey’s Pillar National Monument, the only on-site physical evidence of the Lewis and Clark expedition. When William Clark saw this small sandstone mesa rising out of the prairie along the Yellowstone River on July 25, 1806, he climbed to the top to survey the area and then marked it with his signature and the date. His graffiti, along with other engravings by early-19th-century fur traders and homesteaders, is still visible. You can climb to the top of the mesa and view the signature year-round during daylight hours. To get to Hardin, continue east on I–94 for a few miles and then head south on Highway 47.
Billings, Montana, 59064, USA406-875–2400Sight Details
Rate Includes: Apr. 30–Labor Day, daily 8–8; Labor Day–Oct. 28, 9–4 -
Recommended Fodor’s Video
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6. Swords Rimrock Park
This trail system on the northern edge of Billings is a pleasant mix of paved urban paths and rugged dirt tracks, where elderly locals out for a Sunday stroll are just as content as extreme mountain bikers. Several individual trails make up the Rimrock system, which starts at Boothill Cemetery and winds past the airport up into the rocky formations that surround the city and give the trail its name. Expect fantastic views of the open plains and five distinct mountain ranges in some places, and the roar of jet engines and the sight of oil-refinery smokestacks in others.
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7. Western Heritage Center
The permanent exhibits here include oral histories, artifacts, and kid-friendly interactive displays tracing the lives of Native Americans, ranchers, homesteaders, immigrants, and railroad workers who lived in the area from 1880 onward. Native American interpretive programs also are offered. The impressive castlelike building that houses the center is almost as interesting as the exhibits.
2822 Montana Ave., Billings, Montana, 59101, USA406-256–6809Sight Details
Rate Includes: $5, Closed Sun. and Mon., Tues.–Sat. 10–5 -
8. Yellowstone Art Museum
One of the premier art museums in a four-state region, "YAM" displays Western and contemporary art by nationally and internationally known artists. The permanent collection numbers more than 4,000 works, including pieces by Charles M. Russell and cowboy author and illustrator Will James. (It has the largest collection of art by James in the country.) Beyond the Palette, the attractive museum café, Raven’s Café d’Art, ($), serves lunch Tuesday through Friday.
401 N. 27th St., Billings, Montana, 59101, USA406-256–6804Sight Details
Rate Includes: $15, Closed Mon., Mon.–Wed., Fri., and Sat. 10–5, Thurs. 10–8, Sun. noon–5 -
9. Yellowstone County Museum
Once frequented by the likes of Teddy Roosevelt and Buffalo Bill Cody, today this log cabin, standing near the exit of Logan Airport, houses a Montana frontier history museum filled with more than 25,000 objects. Check out the chuck wagon, Native American artifacts, wildlife taxidermy, and a Lewis and Clark fur-trading post. A veranda affords unparalleled views of the Bighorn, Pryor, and Beartooth mountains.
1950 Terminal Circle, Billings, Montana, 59105, USA406-256–6811Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon., Tues.–Sat. 10:30–5 -
10. ZooMontana
Ranging over 70 acres of zoological park and botanical gardens, ZooMontana has inhabitants evenly divided between those native to the region, such as grizzlies, gray wolves, and bighorn sheep, and the exotic, including Amur tigers, red pandas, and a Laughing Kookabura. Its most recent addition is a sloth named Winston. There's a farm and ranch area, complete with a petting zoo. Because there are few zoos in the region, it can be extremely busy here in summer.
View Tours and Activities2100 S. Shiloh Rd., Billings, Montana, 59106, USA406-652–8100Sight Details
Rate Includes: $11, May–late Sept., daily 10–5; late Sept.–Apr., daily 10–4
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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