Day Trippin' › Montana › From Bozeman
From Bozeman, Hyalite Reservoir and Palisade Falls are under 40 minutes away, Lewis and Clark Caverns and Chico Hot Springs about 50, and Yellowstone's North Entrance at Gardiner about an hour and 15. The best day trips from Bozeman, by drive time.
80 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
Cave · 50 min west
Guided tours wind through one of the largest limestone caves in the Northwest, full of stalactites and columns.
Hot spring · 51 min southeast
A historic hot springs resort in Paradise Valley near Pray with outdoor soaking pools open to day visitors.
Town · 26 min east
Historic Park County seat on the Yellowstone River (check), home of the Yellowstone Gateway Museum.
Museum · 28 min east
Park County's history museum in Livingston, covering the Yellowstone region, railroads and local life.
Wildlife refuge · 59 min east
A small park near Greycliff that protects a busy black-tailed prairie dog colony.
Waterfall · 38 min south
A short paved nature trail in Hyalite Canyon south of Bozeman that ends at the base of a tall waterfall.
State park · 31 min northwest
The spot near Three Forks where the Jefferson, Madison and Gallatin rivers join to form the Missouri, and where Lewis and Clark camped in 1805.
Lake · 36 min south
A 206-acre mountain reservoir in Hyalite Canyon south of Bozeman with a boat launch, picnic area, campgrounds and trailheads.
Town · 1 hr 19 min southwest
A gold rush town of 1863 and Montana's territorial capital, with wooden storefronts, shops and summer shows along Alder Gulch.
National park · 1 hr 13 min south
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.
National park · 1 hr 33 min south
The busy western gate to Yellowstone right at the edge of West Yellowstone, leading toward Madison and the geyser basins.
Zoo · 1 hr 55 min east
A Billings zoo and botanical garden with grizzlies, wolves, an Amur tiger, red pandas and many rescued animals.
Museum · 1 hr 16 min west
A mining museum on the old Orphan Girl Mine in Butte with a recreated 1890s mining camp and an underground mine tour.
Swimming · 1 hr 37 min northwest
A small spring-fed lake at the edge of Helena with a beach, swimming and a 0.8-mile nature trail around the water.
Waterfall · 1 hr 48 min west
A narrow canyon near Anaconda with 1,200-foot cliffs and a short walk to 50-foot Lost Creek Falls.
Family fun · 1 hr 14 min southwest
In summer the ski area offers lift-served mountain biking, scenic lift rides toward Lone Mountain, ziplining, hiking, disc golf and a kids' Adventure Mountain area.
Town · 2 hr 12 min east
A historic mountain town at the foot of the Beartooths and the start of the Beartooth Highway, with shops, restaurants and galleries.
State park · 2 hr 17 min south
A wildlife refuge on the Henrys Fork with moose, elk and trumpeter swans, a historic ranch, trails, famous fly fishing and groomed ski trails in winter.
Historic site · 2 hr 27 min east
A sandstone butte above the Yellowstone River east of Billings where William Clark carved his name, with a visitor center on the expedition.
Ghost town · 2 hr 30 min west
Montana's first territorial capital and gold strike site, with more than 50 buildings you can walk into along Main Street.
Museum · 2 hr 41 min north
A Great Falls museum devoted to the cowboy artist Charles M. Russell and other western and Indigenous art.
Historic site · 2 hr 41 min north
A mile-long sandstone cliff near Great Falls, possibly the largest bison jump in North America, with a visitor center on buffalo culture.
Historic site · 2 hr 48 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.
Scenic drive · 2 hr 15 min east
The high, winding US 212 from Red Lodge over 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass to Cooke City and Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 59715 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.