Location Breakdown

From roads to lakes to mountains to western towns, we’ve got everything sorted out so you can see the best we have to offer.

Cities and Towns
Old West Towns & Sets
Lakes & Reservoirs
Dams
Rivers
Waterfalls
Mountains
Ski Areas
Performance Roads
Railroads
Mansions
Prisons
Unusual Locations

AUTHENTICITY STARTS HERE
We’ve got over 140,000 square miles of real character. From rugged, snow-capped mountains to dramatic, winding highways, let Montana give your story the authentic feel you’ve been looking for.

Cities and Towns

Where Montana Lives: In addition to Montana’s mountain ranges, ranch lands, rivers, and forests, Montana is dotted with cities and towns. Ghost, old and modern; tiny, medium and large; rural, quaint or connected urban. Click on the map to learn more about the city or town you’re interested in.

CITIES AND TOWNS	AREA CONTACT	Phone
Anaconda	Chamber of Commerce	406.563.2400
Big Sky	Chamber of Commerce	406.995.3000
Big Timber	Chamber of Commerce	406.932.5131
Billings	Chamber of Commerce	406.245.4111
Bozeman	Chamber of Commerce	406.586.5421
Browning - East Glacier	Blackfeet Tourism	406.338.7406
Butte	Chamber of Commerce	406.723.3177
Choteau	Chamber of Commerce	406.466.5316
Cooke City	Chamber of Commerce	406.838.2495
Cut Bank	Chamber of Commerce	406.873.4041
Deer Lodge	Chamber of Commerce	406.846.2094
Dillon	Chamber of Commerce	406.683.5511
Ennis	Chamber of Commerce	406.682.4388
Glasgow	Chamber of Commerce	406.228.2222
Glendive	Chamber of Commerce	406.377.5601
Great Falls	Chamber of Commercie	406.761.4434
Hamilton	Chamber of Commerce	406.363.2400
Hardin	Chamber of Commerce	406.665.1672
Havre	Chamber of Commerce	406.265.4383
Helena	Chamber of Commerce	406.447.1530
Kalispell	Chamber of Commerce	406.758.2800
Lewistown	Chamber of Commerce	406.535.5436
Libby	Chamber of Commerce	406.293.4167
Livingston	Chamber of Commerce	406.222.0850
Miles City	Chamber of Commerce	406.234.2890
Missoula	Chamber of Commerce	406.543.6623
Polson	Chamber of Commerce	406.883.5969
Red Lodge	Chamber of Commerce	406.446.1718
Shelby	Chamber of Commerce	406.434.7184
Sidney	Chamber of Commerce	406.433.1916
Virginia City - Nevada City	Chamber of Commerce	800.829.2969
West Yellowstone	Chamber of Commerce	406.646.7701
Whitefish	Convention & Visitors Bureau	406.862.3390

Dams

Water is Power: The thunder and roar that amazed the Lewis and Clark Expedition in 1805 upon discovering the original five great falls of the Missouri can still be experienced throughout the state. While magnificent structures have been built to harness energy and reserve water, many falls still rush freely.

All dams listed are gravity type unless otherwise noted.

DAMS	LOCATION/AREA	SPILLWAY	OWNER
Black Eagle	Great Falls	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Canyon Ferry	Helena	Middle	Bureau of Reclamation
Cochrane	Great Falls	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Fort Peck	Fort Peck	Top	Army Corps of Engineers
Gibson	Augusta	Middle (arch)	Bureau of Reclamation
Hauser	Helena	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Hebgen	West Yellowstone	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Holter	Helena	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Hungry Horse	Hungry Horse	Bottom (arch gravity)	Bureau of Reclamation
Salish-Kootenai (formerly Kerr)	Polson	Top (arch)	Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Libby	Libby	Bottom	Army Corp of Engineers
Madison	Ennis	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Morony	Great Falls	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Mystic Lake	Columbus	Top (arch)	NorthWestern Energy
Rainbow	Great Falls	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Ryan	Great Falls	Top	NorthWestern Energy
Sun River	Augusta	Top	Bureau of Reclamation
Swift	Dupuyer	Middle (arch)	Pondera Canal & Reservoir Co.
Thompson Falls	Thompson Falls	Top	NorthWestern Enery
Yellowtail	Billings	Bottom (arch)	Bureau of Reclamation

Lakes and Reservoirs

All That Glitters: Like uncut gems, Montana’s lakes and reservoirs sparkle in brilliant sapphire, blue topaz, soft turquoise, and deep jade. From grassy hills to pine-covered mountains, Montana’s lake settings are as varied as the land.

AREA	NAME	MOUNTAIN BACKDROP	HEAVY FOREST	OPEN PLAINS
Billings	Bighorn Lake			X
Bozeman	Dailey Lake	X		X
	Fairy Lake	X	X
	Hyalite Reservoir	X	X
Browning	Duck Lake	X		X
	St. Mary	X	X
Butte / Anaconda	Echo Lake	X	X
	Georgetown Lake	X	X
	Storm Lake	X	X
Dillon	Clark Canyon Reservoir			X
	Lima Reservoir			X
	Ruby Reservoir	X		X
Ennis	Ennis Lake	X		X
Glacier Nat'l Park	Bowman Lake	X	X
	Lake McDonald	X	X
	St. Mary Lake	X
	Lake Sherburne	X	X
	Two Medicine Lake	X	X
Glasgow	Fort Peck Lake			X
Great Falls	Bean Lake	X		X
	Bynum Reservoir	X		X
	Lake Elwell - Tiber Reservoir			X
	Lake Frances			X
	Freezeout Lake	X		X
	Gibson Reservoir	X	X
	Nilan Reservoir	X		X
Hamilton	Lake Como	X	X
	Painted Rocks Reservoir	X	X
Helena	Canyon Ferry Reservoir	X		X
	Hauser Reservoir	X
	Holter Lake	X	X
Kalispell / Whitefish	Ashley Lake		X
	Flathead Lake	X	X	X
	Holland Lake	X	X
	Little Bitterroot Lake		X
	McGregor Lake		X
	Swan Lake	X	X
	Tally Lake	X	X
	Thompson Chain-Of-Lakes		X
	Whitefish Lake	X	X
Lewistown	Crystal Lake	X	X
Libby	Bull Lake	X	X
	Lake Koocanusa	X	X
Missoula	Placid Lake	X	X
	Salmon Lake	X	X
	Seeley Lake	X
	Upsata Lake	X	X
Red Lodge	Beartooth Lake	X	X
	Cooney Reservoir	X		X
	East Rosebud Lake	X	X
	Long Lake	X
	West Rosebud Lake	X	X
West Yellowstone	Cliff Lake	X	X
	Hebgen Lake	X	X
	Quake Lake	X	X
	Wade Lake	X	X

Mansions

Grandiose, Historic, Rustic: Montana living offers as much in variety as in scenery.

Mansion	Location	Owner
Avalanche Ranch	Kalispell	Private
Barrister B&B	Helena	Private
Big Arm Estate	Elmo	Private
Coleman Fee Mansion	Deer Lodge	Private
Conrad Mansion	Kalispell	City of Kalispell
Copper King Mansion	Butte	Private
Daly Mansion	Hamilton	State of Montana
Jim Nabors Home	Whitefish	Private
King Mansion	Bozeman	Private
Kline Schmidt Mansion	Helena	Private
Lehrkind Mansion	Bozeman	Private
Moss Mansion	Billings	City of Billings / Montana
Old Governor’s Mansion	Helena	Historical Society
Rappaport Mansion	Helena	Private
Roberts Mansion	Helena	Private
Sander's B&B	Helena	Private
Story Mansion	Bozeman	City of Bozeman
The Castle	White Sulphur Springs	Meagher County
The Chateau	Bozeman	Private
The Historic Clark Chateau	Butte	Butte / Silver Bow County
Wintergreen Mansion	Bozeman	Private

Mountains

Montana Means Mountain: Virtually every type of mountain can be found under the Big Sky. Grassy mounds ease up from the prairie, while flat-topped buttes command attention on the plains. Massive pine-covered ranges provide passage to boundless woods, and jagged peaks serve as the rugged sentinels of time.

RANGE	ELEVATION	LOCATION	DESCRIPTION
Absaroka	11,206 ft.	S of Livingston, SE of Bozeman, N of Yellowstone National Park	High spires, ridges and peaks. Heavily forested to treeline. Eastern boundary is formed by the Boulder River. Western boundary is the Yellowstone River running through the Paradise Valley.
Anaconda–Pintler	10,793 ft.	SW of Anaconda, N of Wisdom	The Anaconda-Pintlar Range lies between Anaconda to the north and the Big Hole Valley to the south. Nearly 40 miles long, it extends west to the Bitterroot Valley. Many wilderness lakes and peaks from 9,000 to over 10,000 ft. are located on the range.
Beartooth	12,799 ft.	S of Red Lodge, N of Cooke City, SW of Billings	Alpine vistas, treeless tundra plateaus, jagged peaks, lakes and waterfalls.
Big Belt	9,472 ft.	N – NE of Helena	Limestone cliffs, intricate rock formations, grassy meadows and pine forests.
Bitterroot	11,393 ft.	W of Hamilton, SW of Missoula	Jagged pinnacles, rocky peaks, deep canyons and lush forest.
Bridger	9,666 ft.	N of Bozeman, NE of Livingston	Abrupt steep peaks above timberline and lakes
Cabinet	8,738 ft.	S of Libby	Craggy mountain peaks, lush forest slopes below timberline. A cedar forest.
Crazy	11,214 ft.	NW of Livingston/Big Timber	Rises up from plains. Peaks, serrated ridges; 23 peaks above 10,000 feet.
Gallatin	10,992 ft.	S of Bozeman, SW of Livingston	Waterfalls, lakes and creeks and forested with jagged, rocky peaks.
Glacier National Park	10,466 ft.	NE of Kalispell/Whitefish, W of Browning	Massive peaks lead to forested lower slopes, broken cliffs and walls sculpted by glaciers, and many lakes and streams.
Gravelly	10,000+ ft.	S of Virginia City, SW of Ennis, SE of Alder	From the floor of the Madison Valley, the Gravelly Range seems a less rugged and gentle range of mountains approximately 40 miles in length. A well-maintained road follows the ridgeline, winding in and out of flower-covered meadows and forest groves, emulating a Sound of Music look. Black Butte looms up at the south end of the range.
Little Belt	8,801 ft.	SE of Great Falls, E of Helena	Low ridge system with timbered and talus domes, lush forests, and high grassy meadows.
Madison	11,316 ft.	E of Ennis, SW of Bozeman, N of West Yellowstone	Precipitous mountain peaks and many lakes. Yellowstone National Park lies to the south.
Mission	9,820 ft.	N of Missoula, S of Kalispell and Polson, W of Seeley Lake	Abrupt rise from valley floor. Beautiful lakes on both east and west sides.
Pryor	8,786 ft.	E of Red Lodge, S of Billings, W of Hardin	Flat benches, high deserts, mesas, buttes and deep limestone canyons. Partially forested.
Rocky Mountain Front	9,392 ft.	E of Great Falls, Augusta, Choteau, Browning	Towering limestone walls, deep canyons, peaks rising up from plains, grassy meadows, buttes, rivers and creeks.
Ruby	9,000+ ft.	E of Dillon, SW of Alder	A small range of mountains approximately 15 miles long between Virginia City and Dillon. Highest peak is over 9,000 ft. The ownership is primarily Bureau of Land Management.
Swan (south)	9,356 ft.	S of Bigfork, N of Seeley Lake	Rugged mountain peaks stretch in unbroken line for 100 miles.
Swan (north)
Tobacco Root	10,600 ft.	N of Virginia City, NW of Ennis, E of Twin Bridges	A dense concentration of peaks rise over 10,000 ft. Mt. Jefferson at 10,600 ft. is the highest. Has 40,000 acres of roadless area with numerous alpine lakes and old mining claims pocketed throughout. Best access is in the Meadow and Willow Creek drainages and the S. Boulder River.

Performance Roads

We Have Roads: Montana’s magnificent scenery plays the backdrop to our highways and roads. Find meandering lake side highways, or roads cut through rolling hills easing up from the plains and dramatic two lane switchbacks twisting through towering snow-covered mountains. Whatever you’re looking for, our highways and roads will lead you there. But since Montana is such an enormous state, we couldn’t possibly list all our highways. And of course, we also have plenty of gravel, or just plain dirt, roads that can take you to remote areas.

AREA	HIGHWAY	MOUNTAIN BACKDROP	ROLLING HILLS	OPEN COUNTRY	SWITCHBACKS	DIPS & CURVES	LAKES & RIVERS	OTHER
Anaconda, Butte	Pintlar Scenic Route–State Hwy. 1	X			X		X	Georgetown Lake
	Pioneer Mountain Scenic Byway–Forest Hwy. 73	X			X			forest, meadows
Big Timber	U.S, Hwy. 191 (north)	X	X	X		X		Crazy Mountains
Billings	U.S. Hwy. 87 (north)		X	X		X		badlands
	State Hwy. 3 (north)		X	X		X		no power lines
	BIA Hwy. 91 (east)		X	X		X		badlands, no fences or power lines
Bozeman	U.S. Hwy. 191 (south)	X				X	X	forest
Browning, East Glacier	Kiowa Highway–State Hwy. 49	X			X	X	X	vast overlook into Glacier National Park
	Kiowa Highway-State Hwy. 49 (Snow)
	Heart Butte Highway	X	X	X		X	X	no fences or power lines
	Chief Mountain Hwy.–State Hwy. 17	X				X		rock formations / buttes
	St. Mary–U.S. Hwy. 89 (north)	X	X	X	X	X	X	Glacier National Park
Butte	Pipestone Pass–State Hwy. 2	X		X				rock formations
Choteau	U.S. Hwy. 89 (north)	X	X	X		X		Rocky Mountain Front
	U.S. Hwy. 87 (south)	X	X	X		X		Rocky Mountain Front
Glacier National Park	Going To The Sun Hwy.–Logan Pass	X			X		X	engineering marvel
Great Falls	Rogers Pass–U.S. Hwy. 200	X	X	X	X	X		Lewis & Clark route
	U.S. Hwy. 89 (south)	X	X	X		X		forest
Hamilton	Lost Trail Pass–U.S. Hwy. 93	X			X			ski area, forest
Helena	Flesher Pass–County Hwy. 279	X			X			forest
	I-15 (north)	X	X	X		X	X	interstate, canyons
	State Hwy. 141 (north)	X	X			X	X	Nevada Reservoir
Kalispell, Whitefish	State Hwy. 35 (south)	X				X	X	Flathead Lake, forest
	State Hwy. 83 (south)	X				X	X	meadows, forest
	U.S. Hwy. 93 (south)	X				X	X	Flathead Lake
Lewistown	U.S. Hwy. 191 (north)		X	X		X		no fences or power lines
	State Hwy.s 80 & 81 (west)		X	X		X

Prisons

Go to Jail: Montana has had its share of colorful characters throughout the years. Some of these historic hoosegows still operate today.

PRISON	CITY/TOWN	PERMIT/TYPE
Anaconda Jail	Anaconda	Yes / County
Big Timber Jail & Police Station	Big Timber	Yes / County
Deer Lodge Prison	Deer Lodge	Yes / State
Nevada City Jail	Nevada City	Yes / State
Old Butte Jail	Butte	Private Ownership
Old Montana Prison	Deer Lodge	Yes / State
Red Lodge Jail	Red Lodge	Yes / City

Railroads

Trains, Tracks & Engines: Rails carve through-out the dramatic landscape of Montana. Private railroads chug over trestles, through tunnels, across badlands, and along mountain ranges. When these trains roll down the track, they take you not just through pristine valleys and tidy little towns, but into the rail yards and back doors of gritty urban centers.

Name	Tunnels	Trestles	Station, Yard	Miles of Track	Locomotive, Cars	Other
Alder Gulch Short Line	No	No		1.5	Yes	connects Virginia City & Nevada City
BNSF	Yes	Yes	Yes	2,140	Yes
Butte, Anaconda & Pacific Railway			Yes	26	Yes
Central Montana Rail	Yes	Yes	Yes	94	Yes	badlands, mountain backdrops
Charlie Russell Chew Choo	Yes	Yes	Yes		Yes	dining entertainment cars, plains, mountain backdrops
Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western Railroad				57
Global Rail Group				30
Mission Mountain Railroad				42
Montana Rail Link	Yes	Yes	Yes	854	Yes	mountain backdrops
Port of Montana				1.5
Transco				4
Union Pacific				125
Virginia City Railroad Station			Yes

Montana Short Line

Photos of the Virginia City / Nevada City Short Line Steam Engine, an original steam locomotive. With a 17,000-horsepower engine, the Short Line barrels down a mile-and-a-half track connecting two authentic Western towns.

Rivers

A River Runs Through It: For every Blackfoot River of literary fame, there are dozens of less famous, but equally breathtaking, waterways in Montana. You can always count on the state for crystal clear streams and whitewater stretches, but we can also lead you to winding rivers that flow through scenic mountains, prairies, and canyons.

RIVER	MOUNTAIN BACKDROP	RANCHING/PLAINS	WHITEWATER	CANYONS
Beaverhead	X	X
Big Hole	X	X		X
Bighorn		X		X
Bitterroot	X	X		X
Blackfoot	X		Limited	X
Boulder	X	X	Limited	X
Bull	X			X
Clark Fork	X		X	X
Clarks Fork of Yellowstone	X	X
Dearborn	X	X		X
East Rosebud	X		Limited	X
Flathead	X	X	X	X
Gallatin	X	X	X	X
Jefferson	X	X		X
Judith	X	X
Kootenai	X		X	X
Madison	X	X	Limited	X
Marias		X		X
McDonald Creek	X		Limited
Milk		X
Missouri	X	X	Limited	X
Musselshell		X
Poplar		X
Powder		X
Rock Creek	X			X
Ruby	X	X
Smith	X	X		X
Stillwater	X	X	X	X
Sun	X	X		X
Swan	X		X
Teton	X	X
Tongue		X
Two Medicine	X	X	Limited	X
Wise	X			X
Yaak	X		Limited	X
Yellowstone	X	X	X	X

Ski Areas

Let it Snow: The charm of a local ski area is as accessible as the sophistication of a major resort. Each area boasts a unique type of mountain and its own style of snow. Lodge merchants range from hot dog vendors to furriers. Sleigh rides, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling are often just around the bend.

RESORT	LOCATION	VERTICAL	AVERAGE	TELEPHONE
		DROP	SNOWFALL
Bear Paw Ski Bowl	Havre	900 feet	140 inches	406.395.4040
Big Sky Resort	Big Sky	4,350 feet	400 inches	800.548.4486
Blacktail Mountain	Lakeside	1,440 feet	250 inches	406.844.0999
Bridger Bowl	Bozeman	2,600 feet	350 inches	406.587.2111
Discovery Ski Area	Anaconda	1,670 feet	210 inches	406.563.2184
Great Divide	Marysville	1,500 feet	180 inches	406.449.3746
Lookout Pass	Saltese	1,150 feet	400 inches	208.744.1301
Lost Trail	Sula	1,800 feet	300 inches	406.821.3211
Maverick Mountain	Dillon	2,020 feet	180 inches	406.834.3454
Montana Snowbowl	Missoula	2,600 feet	300 inches	406.549.9777
Moonlight Basin	Big Sky	4,150 feet	400 inches	800.506.6650
Red Lodge Mountain	Red Lodge	2,400 feet	250 inches	406.446.2610
Showdown Montana	Neihart	1,400 feet	240 inches	406.236.5522
Teton Pass	Choteau	1,010 feet	300 inches	406.466.2209
Turner Mountain	Libby	2,110 feet	250 inches	406.293.2468
Whitefish Mountain Resort	Whitefish	2,353 feet	300 inches	406.862.2900

Unusual Locations

If you’re looking for the odd, strange, and perplexing, Montana has it as well. While famous for its mountainous grandeur, Montana is also the home of some seriously different locations — you just won’t find “that spot” anywhere else.

CHARACTERISTIC	LOCATION	FEATURE
Berkely Pit	Butte	open pit mine
Black Hawk Modern Home	Livingston	unique house
Choteau Museum	Choteau	Montana Historical Museum
First Peoples Buffalo Jump	Ulm	buffalo jump
Gatiss Gardens	Creston	preserved garden
Glacier National Park	East Glacier	mountainous terrain
Judith Gap Wind Farm	Judith Gap	wind turbines
Lady of the Rockies	Butte	statue
Makoshika State Park	Glendive	rock formations
Medicine Rocks	Ekalaka	rock formations
Model Train	Livingston	model train
Montana Vortex & House of Mystery	Columbia Falls	unique houses
National Bison Range	Moiese	antler tower
Rock City	Valier	rock formations
Sip-N-Dip Lounge	Great Falls	bar and pool with mermaids
Sleeping Giant	Helena	rock formation
Wahkpa Ghu’gn	Havre	buffalo jump
Yellowstone National Park	Gardiner	geyser basin

Waterfalls

While magnificent structures have been built to harness energy and reserve water, many falls still rush freely.

WATERFALL	LOCATION/AREA	TYPE	ACCESS
Beartooth Falls	Red Lodge / Cooke City	cascade	drive to
Cataract Falls	Augusta	cascade	drive to
Crazy Creek Falls	Cooke City	cascade	drive to
Crow Creek Falls	Helena	plunge	walk to, 2 1/4 mile path
Double Falls	Great Falls / Augusta	cascade	drive to
Holland Falls	Seeley Lake	plunge	walk to, 1 1/2 mile path
Lost Creek Falls	Anaconda	cascade	walk to, 100 yard path
Natural Bridge Falls	Big Timber	plunge	drive to
Palisade Falls	Bozeman	plunge	walk to, 1/4 mile paved path
Running Eagle Falls	East Glacier	cascade	walk to, 1/4 mile path
Silver Staircase Falls	Essex / East Glacier	cascade	drive to
Skalkaho Falls	Hamilton	cascade	drive to
Swiftcurrent Falls	Many Glacier	cascade	drive to
Yaak Falls	Libby	cascade	drive to

Old West Towns & Sets

The Wild West is Still Alive in Montana: You’ll see it in homesteads on the plains and cabins in the hills. Standing sets, western towns, and ghost towns remain in tribute to a way of life gone by. The personality of the wild frontier still can be found in functioning communities, turn-of-the-century structures, withering town-sites, and our old Territorial Prison.
—

SET	LOCATION/AREA	INTERIORS	OWNER
Bannack	Dillon (25 miles west)	Limited	Montana State Parks
Elkhorn	Helena (45 miles south)	Limited	Montana State Parks
Garnet	Missoula (50 miles east)	Yes	Bureau of Land Management
Granite	Philipsburg	Yes	Montana State Parks
Grant Kohrs Ranch	Deer Lodge	No	National Park Service
Gunslinger Gulch	Anaconda	Yes	Private
Hell Roarin' Gulch	Butte	Yes	Private
Marysville	Helena (25 miles northwest)	No	Private
"Morning Star" Fort	Billings (10 miles north)	No	Private
Nevada City	Ennis (15 miles to the west)	Yes	Montana Heritage Commission
Old Montana Prison	Deer Lodge	Yes	Powell County
Pioneer Town	Scobey	Yes	Daniels County
Virginia City	Ennis (15 miles west)	Yes	Montana Heritage Commission
Wapiti City	Missoula (50 miles northeast)	Yes	Private
Wof-N-Bar	Kalispell (20 miles west)	Yes	Private
Yellowstone Film Ranch	Livingston	Yes	Private

Location Breakdown

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