Historic site · 54 min west
Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site
A working cattle ranch in Deer Lodge that tells the story of the open-range cattle era, with the ranch house, barns and living history.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Day Trippin' › Montana › From Helena
Day trips from Helena
From Helena, Canyon Ferry Lake and Black Sandy are under 20 minutes away, Boulder Hot Springs half an hour, Butte and Deer Lodge's old prison under an hour, and Great Falls' C.M. Russell Museum about an hour and 15. The best day trips from Helena, by drive time.
90 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Helena
- Boulder Hot Springs 30 min south
- Grant-Kohrs Ranch National Historic Site 54 min west
- Butte 58 min southwest
- C.M. Russell Museum 1 hr 13 min northeast
- First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park 1 hr 13 min north
- Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park 1 hr 20 min south
- Museum of the Rockies 1 hr 34 min southeast
- Virginia City 2 hr 2 min south
- Bannack State Park 2 hr 15 min southwest
- Bison Range 2 hr 43 min northwest
Within an hour from Helena 4 spots
Town · 58 min southwest
Butte
Once called the Richest Hill on Earth, this copper mining city has one of the nation's largest historic districts and old mine headframes.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Hot spring · 30 min south
Boulder Hot Springs
A historic inn in the Elkhorn foothills near Boulder with mineral hot spring pools open for day use.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (check)
- Admission
Museum · 54 min southwest
Old Montana Prison Museum Complex
A former territorial prison in Deer Lodge plus a large car collection and other museums, all on one ticket.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Most of the year; closed in winter (check dates)
- Admission
1 to 2 hours from Helena 39 spots
Museum · 1 hr 13 min northeast
C.M. Russell Museum
A Great Falls museum devoted to the cowboy artist Charles M. Russell and other western and Indigenous art.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (Thu to Mon in winter)
- Admission
Historic site · 1 hr 13 min north
First Peoples Buffalo Jump State Park
A mile-long sandstone cliff near Great Falls, possibly the largest bison jump in North America, with a visitor center on buffalo culture.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy to moderate
- Year-round (Wed to Sun in winter)
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
Museum · 1 hr 34 min southeast
Museum of the Rockies
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.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Cave · 1 hr 20 min south
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
Guided tours wind through one of the largest limestone caves in the Northwest, full of stalactites and columns.
- Half day · Moderate
- May to September for tours (trails year-round)
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents) plus cave tour ticket
State park · 1 hr 44 min northeast
Giant Springs State Park
A day-use park on the Missouri River in Great Falls built around one of the country's largest freshwater springs, with a fish hatchery and trails.
- 1-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
Ghost town · 1 hr 53 min west
Garnet Ghost Town
One of Montana's best-preserved ghost towns, a high gold camp of the 1890s with many buildings still standing, east of Missoula.
- Half day · Easy
- Late spring to fall by car; winter by snowmobile or skis only
- Admission (per person 16 and older; America the Beautiful pass accepted)
Town · 1 hr 13 min northeast
Great Falls
The Electric City on the Missouri River, with five hydro dams, Charles M. Russell's art, downtown murals and about 53 miles of river trail.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
State park · 1 hr 27 min northwest
Salmon Lake State Park
A lakeside park in the Blackfoot-Clearwater valley south of Seeley Lake, good for a swim, picnic or paddle.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- May to November (day use)
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
2 to 3 hours from Helena 42 spots
Town · 2 hr 2 min south
Virginia City
A gold rush town of 1863 and Montana's territorial capital, with wooden storefronts, shops and summer shows along Alder Gulch.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round (most open Memorial Day to Labor Day)
- Free (some attractions charge)
Ghost town · 2 hr 15 min southwest
Bannack State Park
Montana's first territorial capital and gold strike site, with more than 50 buildings you can walk into along Main Street.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round (8 a.m. to sunset)
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
Wildlife refuge · 2 hr 43 min northwest
Bison Range
A tribally managed range near Moiese with bison, elk, pronghorn and bighorn sheep, seen from the Red Sleep and Prairie scenic drives.
- 2-4 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (Red Sleep Drive about May to October)
- Admission (per vehicle day pass)
Town · 2 hr 46 min northwest
Polson
A lake town at the south end of Flathead Lake, known for cherry orchards, a July cherry festival and lakeside parks.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
National park · 2 hr 38 min southeast
Yellowstone National Park North Entrance (Gardiner)
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.
- Full day · Easy
- Year-round
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
National park · 2 hr 46 min south
Yellowstone National Park West Entrance
The busy western gate to Yellowstone right at the edge of West Yellowstone, leading toward Madison and the geyser basins.
- Full day · Easy
- Mid-April to October (cars); mid-December to mid-March (snowcoach and snowmobile only)
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
Hot spring · 2 hr 16 min southeast
Chico Hot Springs
A historic hot springs resort in Paradise Valley near Pray with outdoor soaking pools open to day visitors.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
State park · 2 hr 44 min northwest
Wayfarers State Park
A Flathead Lake park near Bigfork with rocky cliffs and shoreline, forest trails, swimming and a playground.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round day use (7 a.m. to 10 p.m.); campground April to October
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 59601 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.