Day Trippin' › Montana › From Billings
From Billings, ZooMontana and Pictograph Cave are under 20 minutes away, Pompeys Pillar about half an hour, Little Bighorn Battlefield under an hour, and Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway a little over an hour. The best day trips from Billings, by drive time.
45 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
Historic site · 31 min northeast
A sandstone butte above the Yellowstone River east of Billings where William Clark carved his name, with a visitor center on the expedition.
Historic site · 52 min east
The site near Crow Agency of the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn, with Last Stand Hill, the Indian Memorial and a 4.5-mile tour road.
Lake · 1 hr southwest
A reservoir about 40 minutes south of Billings with mountain views, boating, fishing, swimming and camping.
Wildlife refuge · 1 hr west
A small park near Greycliff that protects a busy black-tailed prairie dog colony.
Historic site · 49 min south
The log home, sacred spring and farm of the Crow chief Plenty Coups on the Crow Reservation about 40 minutes south of Billings, with a visitor center.
Town · 1 hr 6 min southwest
A historic mountain town at the foot of the Beartooths and the start of the Beartooth Highway, with shops, restaurants and galleries.
Museum · 2 hr west
A big natural and cultural history museum at Montana State University in Bozeman, with a dinosaur hall that includes the Big Mike T. rex and a planetarium.
Scenic drive · 1 hr 10 min southwest
The high, winding US 212 from Red Lodge over 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass to Cooke City and Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance.
Lake · 1 hr 46 min southeast
A 12-mile reservoir in red shale and juniper canyons near Decker known for crappie and walleye fishing, with a small swim beach at Sand Point.
National park · 1 hr 41 min southeast
The Montana end of Bighorn Canyon near Fort Smith, mostly water-based recreation, with Ok-A-Beh Marina and the Afterbay.
Zoo · 1 hr 46 min west
A small rescue sanctuary on Bozeman Hill east of Bozeman that is home to rescued grizzly bears, plus goats kids can feed.
Waterfall · 1 hr 49 min west
A small Forest Service picnic spot in the Main Boulder area with an interpretive trail along the Boulder River and its falls (check).
Museum · 1 hr 35 min northwest
Small free museum in Harlowton with Ava, a small horned dinosaur found nearby, plus local history.
National park · 2 hr 23 min southwest
The park's year-round entrance at Gardiner, marked by the stone Roosevelt Arch, with the road on to Mammoth Hot Springs and Lamar Valley.
Cave · 2 hr 40 min west
Guided tours wind through one of the largest limestone caves in the Northwest, full of stalactites and columns.
Hot spring · 2 hr 1 min west
A historic hot springs resort in Paradise Valley near Pray with outdoor soaking pools open to day visitors.
Museum · 2 hr 6 min east
A Miles City museum of over a dozen buildings covering tribes, pioneers, soldiers and frontier life.
Town · 2 hr 7 min east
A cow town where the Tongue River meets the Yellowstone, known for the Bucking Horse Sale, a downtown art walk and Strawberry Hill hiking.
Waterfall · 2 hr 34 min west
A short paved nature trail in Hyalite Canyon south of Bozeman that ends at the base of a tall waterfall.
Town · 2 hr 9 min northwest
Central Montana town in Fergus County known for the Charlie Russell Chew Choo dinner train and summer festivals.
State park · 2 hr 16 min east
A cottonwood island in the Yellowstone River near Miles City (check) with trails, wildlife and moss agate hunting.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 59101 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.