Museum · 29 min west
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
Day Trippin' › Montana › From Livingston
Day trips from Livingston
From Livingston, Chico Hot Springs and Bozeman's Museum of the Rockies are under half an hour away, Gardiner and Yellowstone's North Entrance under an hour, and Natural Bridge Falls about an hour and 10. The best day trips from Livingston, by drive time.
70 places within a 3-hour drive, by real roads.
10 day trips from Livingston
- Museum of the Rockies 29 min west
- Chico Hot Springs 29 min south
- Yellowstone National Park North Entrance (Gardiner) 51 min south
- Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park 1 hr 10 min west
- Virginia City 1 hr 45 min west
- Red Lodge 1 hr 51 min southeast
- Beartooth Highway 1 hr 54 min southeast
- Pompeys Pillar National Monument 2 hr 6 min east
- Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument 2 hr 27 min east
- Harriman State Park 2 hr 43 min southwest
Within an hour from Livingston 10 spots
National park · 51 min south
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
Hot spring · 29 min south
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
Town · 25 min west
Bozeman
A lively college town with a walkable downtown Main Street full of shops, restaurants and events, close to mountain trails.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Wildlife refuge · 38 min east
Greycliff Prairie Dog Town State Park
A small park near Greycliff that protects a busy black-tailed prairie dog colony.
- 30-60 min · Easy
- Year-round
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
Museum · 26 min west
Gallatin History Museum
Local history museum in Bozeman's 1911 county jail, with old cells, a gallows and a pioneer cabin.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy
- Year-round (Wed to Sat)
- Admission
State park · 50 min west
Missouri Headwaters State Park
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.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
Hot spring · 36 min west
Bozeman Hot Springs
Natural hot springs west of Bozeman on US 191 with about a dozen indoor and outdoor pools from cool to very hot, plus saunas.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
1 to 2 hours from Livingston 38 spots
Town · 1 hr 45 min west
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)
Town · 1 hr 51 min southeast
Red Lodge
A historic mountain town at the foot of the Beartooths and the start of the Beartooth Highway, with shops, restaurants and galleries.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Free
Cave · 1 hr 10 min west
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
Scenic drive · 1 hr 54 min southeast
Beartooth Highway
The high, winding US 212 from Red Lodge over 10,947-foot Beartooth Pass to Cooke City and Yellowstone's Northeast Entrance.
- Full day · Moderate
- Late May to mid-October
- Free
National park · 1 hr 59 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
Zoo · 1 hr 35 min east
ZooMontana
A Billings zoo and botanical garden with grizzlies, wolves, an Amur tiger, red pandas and many rescued animals.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- Admission
Museum · 1 hr 27 min northeast
Upper Musselshell Museum
Small free museum in Harlowton with Ava, a small horned dinosaur found nearby, plus local history.
- 1 hr · Easy
- May through September
- Free
Lake · 1 hr 46 min east
Cooney State Park
A reservoir about 40 minutes south of Billings with mountain views, boating, fishing, swimming and camping.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
2 to 3 hours from Livingston 20 spots
Historic site · 2 hr 6 min east
Pompeys Pillar National Monument
A sandstone butte above the Yellowstone River east of Billings where William Clark carved his name, with a visitor center on the expedition.
- 1-2 hrs · Easy to moderate
- May through September
- BLM day-use fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
Historic site · 2 hr 27 min east
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
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.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Year-round
- National park entrance fee (per vehicle) or America the Beautiful pass
State park · 2 hr 43 min southwest
Harriman State Park
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.
- Half day · Easy
- Year-round
- Idaho State Parks entrance fee (per vehicle) or Idaho State Parks Passport; winter trail pass for skiing
Ghost town · 2 hr 49 min west
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)
Museum · 3 hr north
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 · 3 hr 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)
Waterfall · 2 hr 7 min west
Lost Creek State Park
A narrow canyon near Anaconda with 1,200-foot cliffs and a short walk to 50-foot Lost Creek Falls.
- 2-3 hrs · Easy
- Mid to late May through November 30
- Montana State Parks day-use fee (nonresident vehicles; free for Montana residents)
Lake · 2 hr 18 min southwest
Henrys Lake State Park
A high mountain lake near the Montana line known for big trout, with wide views of the Centennial Mountains and a short trail.
- 1-3 hrs · Easy
- Best June to September (open in winter for ice fishing)
- Idaho State Parks entrance fee (per vehicle) or Idaho State Parks Passport
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Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP 59047 (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Facts checked against official sites; passes and hours change, so check before you go.