Billings

History The valley was known as Clark's Fork Bottom when settlers from the Gallatin Valley founded Coulson, the first town on the Yellowstone, in 1877. Coulson expected to become the railroad's hub, but the Northern Pacific laid out a new town nearby instead, and Billings was founded in 1882. Rapid growth earned it the name "Magic City", and it became the trade, retail, banking and medical centre for much of Montana east of the Continental Divide. It overtook Great Falls as Montana's largest city in the 1970 census. Pompeys Pillar, east of town, was made a National Historic Landmark in 1965 and a national monument in January 2001.

What to See The Rimrocks, sandstone walls carved by the Yellowstone River over the last million years, give views over the city. Pictograph Cave State Park at 3401 Coburn Road has more than 100 pictographs in its caves. In summer (third Friday in May to third Sunday in September) the park is open daily 9 am to 7 pm; in winter it opens Wednesday to Sunday only. Nonresidents pay $8 per vehicle. Pompeys Pillar, a 120-foot sandstone butte, is reached by a boardwalk of about 200 steps; Clark's signature is at the first landing, about 100 steps up. In 2026 the monument's season ran 1 May to 30 September, with gates open 8 am to 4 pm and closed on Tuesdays; outside the season visitors can park at the gate and walk in. Day use is $7 per car. In town, the Moss Mansion (1903) offers guided and self-guided tours, and the Yellowstone Art Museum and ZooMontana round out a visit.

Outdoors Trails along the Rims and the Yellowstone River are the easiest walks. Further afield, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area's North District is reached via Fort Smith; Yellowtail Dam created the 71-mile Bighorn Lake in 1966, and no road links the north and south districts inside the park. Little Bighorn Battlefield is about 65 miles east along Interstate 90, via Hardin.

Getting There Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) handled about 1.03 million passengers in 2025, its first year above one million, and is about 6 miles by road from downtown. Interstates 90 and 94 meet just east of the city. Yellowstone's North-east Entrance is about 130 miles by road via Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway, but Beartooth Pass (10,947 feet, in Wyoming) closes for winter; in 2026 it closed on 9 October. In winter, use Gardiner's North Entrance, the only Yellowstone entrance open to cars all year. Non-US residents aged 16 and over pay an extra $100 per person at Yellowstone unless they hold an annual pass.

When to Go May to September is best, when Pompeys Pillar is open and the Beartooth Highway is usually passable. Billings itself works year-round as a base, with mild spells between cold snaps in winter.