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

The name of these expansive federal lands is misleading: it should really be "Custer National Forests." Composed of dozens of discrete tracts dotting the landscape from Red Lodge (60 miles southwest of Billings, near Yellowstone National Park) all the way into South Dakota, Custer National Forest is one of the most ecologically diverse federally managed lands. The units in southeast Montana are called the Ekalaka Hills, and like their nearby neighbors in South Dakota, these pine-covered bluffs and mesas are often referred to as "an island of green in a sea of prairie," for good reason. Visible from miles away, the tiny forested ridges appear like mountains in the middle of the grassy plains. Drive any of the four-wheeler roads off Highway 212 between Ashland and Broadus and climb to a timbered ridge. Get out and hike to a vista, where you can breathe the scent of sagebrush from what appears to be a great height, but is only a couple of hundred feet above the prevailing landscape. Deer, turkey and elk inhabit the woods, and herds of pronghorn (the fastest land mammal in North America) roam the plains. Many species of raptors are known to nest here, too. The area is completely undeveloped and offers few services.

Over millenia, wind and water carved holes in the sandstone pillars north of Ekalaka, creating an eerie and barren landscape. Embracing the terrain's mystery, Native Americans used the site for rituals to conjure spirits centuries ago. Teddy Roosevelt was struck by the area's unique beauty when he visited in the late 19th century, calling it "as fantastically beautiful a place as I have ever seen." In 1957 the area was designated Medicine Rocks State Park. The 320-acre park is largely undeveloped: aside from a few picnic tables, a short hiking trail, and a handful of unmarked campsites, the land is exactly how it was when Native Americans first performed their ceremonies here.

Pirogue Island State Park, a 269-acre chunk of land in the middle of the Yellowstone River, is completely undeveloped; the only way to access the park is by floating down the river or (carefully) fording in times of low water. The old cottonwood trees are excellent habitat for waterfowl, raptors, and deer, and the geology of the island makes it prime agate-hunting ground.

The Range Riders Museum, built on the site of the 1877 Fort Keogh cantonment, is jammed to the rafters with saddles, chaps, spurs, guns, arrowheads, and other frontier artifacts. Some of the 12 museum buildings of this complex were once part of the fort, which was abandoned in 1924 after being used as a remount station during World War I. The volunteers and staff love to talk about local history and are great sources for information about modern amenities, too.

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.