Places to Explore In Helena, Bozeman, and Southwest Montana

Discover the best places to explore in Helena, Bozeman, and Southwest Montana with curated recommendations from our travel experts.

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness

Although millions of summer visitors swarm into Yellowstone National Park to the south, the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness is blissfully unpeopled...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Anaconda

Nicknamed the Smelter City, Anaconda is a window on the age of the copper barons, who ran this town from the 1880s through the 1950s. A number...

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  • 3 Hotels
  • 6 Things To Do

Bannack

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  • 0 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Big Hole National Battlefield

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  • 0 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 1 Things To Do

Big Sky and Gallatin Canyon

The region known as "Big Sky" is actually three areas: the Mountain Village at the top of the 9-mile-long Lone Mountain Trail (Highway 64);...

  • 8 Restaurants
  • 6 Hotels
  • 11 Things To Do

Big Timber and the Boulder River

People come to Big Timber for its small-town (population 1,700) Western ambience, to fly-fish the blue-ribbon trout streams, float the Yellowstone...

  • 4 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 6 Things To Do

Bozeman

This recreation capital offers everything from trout fishing to white-water river rafting to backcountry mountain biking to skiing. The arts...

  • 9 Restaurants
  • 8 Hotels
  • 11 Things To Do

Butte

Dubbed the "Richest Hill on Earth," Butte was once a wealthy and rollicking copper-, gold-, and silver-mining town. During its heyday, 100,000...

  • 5 Restaurants
  • 4 Hotels
  • 11 Things To Do

Cooke City–Silver Gate

The tiny, neighboring communities of Cooke City and Silver Gate, are just outside the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone and just west of the...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 0 Things To Do

Deer Lodge

Deer Lodge, a quiet community of 3,000 residents, maintains a complex of history museums in and near its old state penitentiary. Many locals...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 6 Things To Do

Dillon

Blue-ribbon trout fishing on the Beaverhead River attracts thousands of anglers here year-round. A capital of southwest Montana’s ranch country...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 3 Things To Do

Ennis

In addition to being a hub of ranching in the area, this tiny town sits among some of the best trout streams in the West. People come from around...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 6 Things To Do

Gardiner

As the only entrance to Yellowstone open the entire year, Gardiner (population 971) always feels like a hive of activity, with its quaint shops...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 0 Things To Do

Helena

Montana’s state capital is a city of 33,000, with 30 city parks, several museums, and a thriving arts community. The southern part of the city...

  • 9 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 18 Things To Do

Livingston and the Yellowstone River

The stunning mountain backdrop to the town of Livingston was once Crow territory, and a chief called Arapooish said about it, "The Crow country...

  • 8 Restaurants
  • 7 Hotels
  • 14 Things To Do

Red Lodge

Nestled against the foot of the pine-draped Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, this little burg is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...

  • 7 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 11 Things To Do

Three Forks

Although the scenery in Three Forks is striking, it’s the historic sites that make this place worth a visit. Sacajawea (circa 1786–1812) traveled...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 4 Things To Do

Virginia City

Remnants of Montana’s frontier days, Virginia City and its smaller neighbor, Nevada City, are two of the state’s standout attractions. Boardwalks...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 4 Hotels
  • 7 Things To Do

West Yellowstone

This western gateway to the park is where the open plains of southwestern Montana and northeastern Idaho come together along the Madison River...

  • 5 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Explore Helena, Bozeman, and Southwest Montana

Sights 68

Shopping 34

Nightlife 18

Performing Arts 8

Restaurants 66

Hotels 53
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Compass American Guides: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

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