6 Best Sights in Billings, Little Big Horn, and the Montana Plains, Montana

Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge Self-Guided Auto Tour

One of the best ways to experience the refuge is to take the 15-mile, 1½-hour self-guided auto tour around Lake Bowdoin. The one-way gravel road will expose you to a wide array of bird species and habitat types, and there are 11 signed stops along the way. The auto tour guide, available for download on the refuge's website, provides all the history and nature knowledge you'll need to get the most out of your experience. Depending on the time of year, you can expect to see a colony of gulls on Long Island and pelicans, cormorants, and blue herons on Pelican Islands. As always, spring and fall and early morning and evening will offer you the best opportunity to see wildlife. Don't forget your binoculars and camera.

Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge Auto Tour Route

Located along Highway 191, 55 miles southwest of Malta, this 20-mile all-weather gravel road allows visitors an up-close and personal view of the inner workings of the refuge. Interpretive stops along the way provide information on the wildlife, geology, and history of this unique landscape. Keep your eyes out for a rare sighting of an endangered black-footed ferret, as this part of the refuge protects one of the largest free-ranging populations in the world. Stop at the Slippery Ann Wildlife Viewing Area to look for elk and deer; early mornings and evenings are best. Expect to spend three or more hours on the drive.

Fort Peck Interpretive Center

The 18,000-square-foot Fort Peck Interpretive Center features interpretive displays recounting the history and significance of the dam's construction, wildlife of the lower river and Missouri River Breaks. You'll find one of the most striking life-size dinosaur displays in the West, a reproduction of Peck's Rex, a tyrannosaurus Rex unearthed near Fort Peck, as well as other local dinosaur discoveries. The center also features the largest aquariums in Montana, filled with the native and introduced fish species of Fort Peck Reservoir and the Missouri River. Guided tours of the dam and its power plants are available April through October.

Visitor Center Free Family
Lower Yellowstone Rd., Fort Peck, Montana, 59223, USA
406-526–3493
www.fws.gov
Sights Details
Rate Includes: Free, Oct. 1–Apr. 30, weekdays 10–4; May 1–Sept. 30, daily 9–5

Recommended Fodor's Video

Slippery Ann Wildlife Viewing Area

In the fall, hundreds of elk congregate in morning and evening at the Slippery Ann Wildlife Viewing Area. During the autumn mating season the bulls bugle and spar with their antlers while herds of cows come to watch and be courted. Be sure to bring binoculars and zoom lenses for your camera, because you must keep your distance from these massive animals.

UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge

A refuge within a refuge, the UL Bend National Wildlife Refuge consists of more than 20,000 acres of wilderness entirely within the boundaries of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Its primary mission at the moment is to rescue one of the nation's most endangered animals: the black-footed ferret. The ferrets depend on the high concentration of prairie dog towns for food. There are also plenty of grouse and burrowing owls, who use abandoned prairie-dog tunnels for homes.

WaterWorks Art Museum

Although the holding tanks of a 100-year-old water-treatment plant might not seem like the best location for fine art, the 10,000-square-foot WaterWorks Art Museum is actually very attractive. Overlooking the Yellowstone River, this permanent exhibit reflects the town's Western heritage and features both regional and national exhibits and features. The museum store features a variety of original artworks, reproductions, ceramics, and a good selection of Western history books.

Free Family
85 Water Plant Rd., Miles City, Montana, 59301, USA
406-234–0635
www.wtrworks.org
Sights Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Sun. and Mon., Oct.–Apr., daily 1–5; May–Sept., daily 9–5