Where to go
Places to visit in Montana
29 towns, cities and natural areas we have written up, with our picks first.
Great Falls & Central Montana
Great Falls
Missouri River city of waterfalls, Giant Springs and the C.M. Russell Museum
Missoula & the Bitterroot Valley
Hamilton
Bitterroot Valley county seat with a Copper King's mansion and canyon trails
Billings & Southeast Montana
Hardin
Big Horn County seat and the closest town to Little Bighorn Battlefield
Helena, Butte & Southwest Montana
Helena
Gold-rush state capital: the Capitol, a new state museum and canyon boat tours
Glacier National Park & the Flathead Valley
Kalispell
Flathead County seat and service hub between Flathead Lake and Glacier
Great Falls & Central Montana
Lewistown
Ranch town near Montana's geographic centre, with Big Spring Creek trout fishing
Yellowstone Gateways & the Beartooths
Livingston
Railroad town on the Yellowstone River at the head of Paradise Valley
Billings & Southeast Montana
Miles City
Cow town on the Yellowstone, home of the Bucking Horse Sale every May
Missoula & the Bitterroot Valley
Missoula
University city where three rivers meet, with trailheads on the edge of town
Helena, Butte & Southwest Montana
Philipsburg
Silver-mining town near Granite Ghost Town, Georgetown Lake and Discovery
Glacier National Park & the Flathead Valley
Polson
Lake County seat at the south end of Flathead Lake, on the Flathead Reservation
Yellowstone Gateways & the Beartooths
Red Lodge
Old coal-mining town at the foot of the Beartooth Highway, with a ski hill