Montana has stood in for itself, for Wyoming, Oklahoma and the Colorado Rockies, and for the frontier in general. Some of the best-known film links are well documented: the opening of The Shining over Saint Mary Lake, the Kootenai Falls scenes in The Revenant, and the long run of Yellowstone in the Bitterroot. Others are looser than the stories told about them. A River Runs Through It, set in Missoula, was mostly filmed near Livingston and Bozeman, and its waterfall is in Wyoming.
This guide lists only filming facts we could confirm, says where each place is, and whether you can see it. Several locations are private ranches and churches: look from the road and do not drive in.
Quick list
| Title | Year | Montana location | Can you visit? |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Shining | 1980 | Saint Mary Lake and Going-to-the-Sun Road, Glacier NP | Yes, park entrance fee |
| Heaven's Gate | 1980 | Two Medicine area, Glacier NP | Yes, when the road is open |
| Little Big Man | 1970 | Crow Agency; Nevada City | Yes |
| Thunderbolt and Lightfoot | 1974 | Great Falls area, Hobson, Fort Benton, Augusta, Choteau | Towns yes; church from outside |
| A River Runs Through It | 1992 | Livingston, Bozeman; Yellowstone, Gallatin and Boulder rivers | Rivers and towns yes |
| Far and Away | 1992 | Billings area; Billings Depot | Depot yes; ranch private |
| The River Wild | 1994 | Kootenai River; Middle Fork of the Flathead | Yes |
| The Horse Whisperer | 1998 | Big Timber area, Livingston | Ranch private |
| Nebraska | 2013 | Billings | Yes |
| The Revenant | 2015 | Kootenai Falls, near Libby | Yes |
| Yellowstone | 2018–2024 | Darby, Missoula, Hamilton | Ranch private |
| 1923 | 2022–2025 | Butte and south-west Montana | Butte yes |
Glacier National Park on screen
- The Shining (1980): the aerial shots in the opening follow a Volkswagen Beetle along Going-to-the-Sun Road above Saint Mary Lake and Wild Goose Island. The hotel exterior was Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood in Oregon, not Montana. The Wild Goose Island turnout is on the park's east side, reached from St. Mary in summer; the full Sun Road opened on June 22 in 2026 and normally closes beyond its lower sections on the third Monday of October.
- Heaven's Gate (1980): principal photography began on April 16, 1979, in Glacier, and most of the town scenes were filmed in the Two Medicine area, although the story is set in Wyoming. Two Medicine Road has been closed to vehicles for construction since September 8, 2026.
- Forrest Gump (1994): some additional scenes were filmed in Glacier; the regional tourism office points to the St. Mary side.
A River Runs Through It (1992)
Norman Maclean's story is set in and around Missoula, with the brothers fishing the Blackfoot River. Robert Redford's film was shot elsewhere: in Livingston and Bozeman in 1991, with fishing scenes on the upper Yellowstone, Gallatin and Boulder rivers.
- Livingston: Redeemer Lutheran Church stood in for the family's Presbyterian church. It is a working church, so view it from outside unless it is open.
- Rivers: the Yellowstone runs through Paradise Valley south of Livingston, and the Gallatin through the canyon between Bozeman and Big Sky. Fishing needs a Montana licence.
- The waterfall: Granite Falls, about 18 miles south-west of Jackson, Wyoming.
The Blackfoot, the real river of the book, runs east of Missoula along MT-200.
Yellowstone and 1923
Yellowstone (2018–2024). Filming began in August 2017 at the Chief Joseph Ranch near Darby, which played John Dutton's home. Early seasons were split between Montana and Utah, where the production used soundstages near Park City. In 2020, after Montana introduced a film tax credit, production moved fully to Montana, with a base in Missoula; local sites included the area near the Missoula County Courthouse and places in Hamilton. The series ended on December 15, 2024, after five seasons.
Visiting the Chief Joseph Ranch. It is a private working ranch about 2,500 acres in size, just south of Darby, and its 1914–17 log main house is not open to the public. The ranch has rented cabins for overnight stays, with dates depending on filming; book only through the ranch itself. Do not drive up uninvited or stop on the road to the gate. Darby is south of Hamilton on US-93; Lake Como, on public land near Darby, is the nearest place to spend time in the same scenery.
1923 (2022–2025). The prequel was shot across south-west Montana, with Butte standing in for 1920s Bozeman. Pre-production began in Butte in July 2022, and the second season returned there in October and November 2024. Uptown Butte, part of the Butte–Anaconda National Historic Landmark District, is open to walk at any time.
Kootenai Falls: The River Wild and The Revenant
Kootenai Falls is on US-2 about 12 miles west of Libby and 6 miles east of Troy, in the far north-west.
- The River Wild (1994): many whitewater scenes were filmed on the Kootenai River, with others on the Middle Fork of the Flathead near West Glacier, the Rogue River in Oregon and the Colorado River.
- The Revenant (2015): the waterfall scenes were filmed at Kootenai Falls. Most of the film was shot in Canada, and the ending in Argentina.
A trail of about half a mile leads from the Forest Service car park to an overlook and a swinging footbridge. The falls are sacred to the Kootenai people; stay off the wet rocks.
Westerns on the plains
- Little Big Man (1970): the Little Bighorn battle scenes were filmed at Crow Agency, near the real battlefield, now Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. Some town scenes were filmed in Nevada City, the open-air museum near Virginia City.
- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974): Clint Eastwood's heist film was shot around Great Falls, in Ulm, Hobson, Fort Benton, Augusta and Choteau. St. John's Lutheran Church in Hobson appears in the opening scene.
- Far and Away (1992): the Oklahoma land rush was filmed on a 12,000-acre ranch near Billings, on private land. Tom Cruise's boxing match was filmed at the Billings Depot downtown, which you can see from the street.
- The Horse Whisperer (1998): filmed mostly around Big Timber, with a working cattle ranch in the Boulder River valley as the Double Divide Ranch; local reports also list Livingston. The ranch is private.
- Nebraska (2013): Alexander Payne's road film starts in Billings, where part of it was shot.
Respecting locations
- Private ranches used by Yellowstone, Far and Away and The Horse Whisperer are working properties. Ask permission before entering any private land, signed or not.
- Churches used in films hold services; visit only when they are open to the public.
- Launching drones is banned in Glacier and Yellowstone national parks.
- Do not fly a drone over ranch buildings or livestock.
Before you go
- Check NPS road status for Going-to-the-Sun Road and Two Medicine before a Glacier trip.
- Buy a Montana fishing licence before fishing the A River Runs Through It rivers.
- Pair the Kootenai Falls stop with our off-the-beaten-path guide, and the Livingston and Butte locations with a weekend getaway.
Details checked October 2026.