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	Billings CVB	406-245-4111
Bozeman	Bozeman CVB	406-586-5421
Browning - East Glacier	Blackfeet Tribal Counci	406-338-7521
Butte	Butte CVB	406-723-3177
Choteau	Chamber of Commerce	406-466-5316
Cooke City	Chamber of Commerce	406-838-2332
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	Great Falls CVB	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	Flathead CVB	406-756-9091
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	406-532-3250
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	406-843-5555
West Yellowstone	Chamber of Commerce	406-646-7701
Whitefish	Chamber of Commerce	406-862-3501

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	PPL Montana LLC
Canyon Ferry	Helena	Middle	Bureau of Reclamation
Cochrane	Great Falls	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Fort Peck	Fort Peck	Top	Army Corps of Engineers
Gibson	Augusta	Middle (arch)	Bureau of Reclamation
Hauser	Helena	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Hebgen	West Yellowstone	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Holter	Helena	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Hungry Horse	Hungry Horse	Bottom (arch gravity)	Bureau of Reclamation
Kerr	Polson	Top (arch)	PPL Montana LLC
Libby	Libby	Bottom	Army Corp of Engineers
Madison	Ennis	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Morony	Great Falls	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Mystic Lake	Columbus	Top (arch)	PPL Montana LLC
Rainbow	Great Falls	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Ryan	Great Falls	Top	PPL Montana LLC
Sun River	Augusta	Top	Private
Swift	Dupuyer	Middle (arch)	Private
Thompson Falls	Thompson Falls	Top	PPL Montana LLC
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	Big Horn			X
Bozeman	Dailey	X		X
	Fairy	X	X
	Hyalite	X	X
Browning	Duck	X		X
	Lower St. Mary	X	X
	Swift	X		X
Butte / Anaconda	East Fork River	X	X
	Echo	X	X
	Georgetown	X	X
	Georgetown (Snow)	X	X
	Storm	X	X
Dillon	Clark Canyon			X
	Lima			X
	Ruby	X		X
Ennis	Ennis	X		X
Glacier Nat'l Park	Bowman	X	X
	McDonald	X	X
	Many Glacier	X	X
	St. Mary's	X
	Sherburne	X	X
	Swiftcurrent	X	X
	Swiftcurrent (Snow)
	Two Medicine	X	X
Glasgow	Fort Peck			X
Great Falls	Bean	X		X
	Bynum	X		X
	Elwell			X
	Frances			X
	Freezeout	X		X
	Gibson	X	X
	Nilan	X		X
Hamilton	Como	X	X
	Painted Rocks	X	X
Hardin	Bighorn			X
Helena	Canyon Ferry	X		X
	Hauser	X
	Holter	X	X
Kalispell / Whitefish	Ashley		X
	Flathead	X	X	X
	Holland	X	X
	Little Bitterroot		X
	McGregor		X
	Swan	X	X
	Tally	X	X
	Thompson Lakes		X
	Whitefish	X	X
Lewistown	Crystal	X	X
Libby	Bull	X	X
	Koocanusa	X	X
Missoula	McDonald	X	X
	Placid	X	X
	Salmon	X	X
	Seeley	X
	Upsata	X	X
Red Lodge	Beartooth	X	X
	Cooney	X		X
	East Rosebud	X	X
	Long	X
	West Rosebud	X	X
West Yellowstone	Cliff	X	X
	Hebgen	X	X
	Quake	X	X
	Wade	X	X

Mansions

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

Mansions	Location	Owner
Art Chateau	Butte	Butte / Silver Bow County
Avalanche Ranch	Kalispell	Private
Barrister Bed & Breakfast	Helena	Private
Big Arm Estate	Elmo	Private
The Castle	White Sulphur Springs	Meagher County
Coleman Mansion	Deer Lodge	Private
Conrad Mansion	Kalispell	City of Kalispell
Copper King	Butte	Private
Daly Mansion	Hamilton	State of Montana
Jim Nabors Home	Whitefish	Private
King Mansion	Bozeman	Private
Kline Schmidt	Helena	Private
Lehrkind Mansion	Bozeman	Private
Le Petit Chateau	Bozeman	Private
Moss Mansion	Billings	City of Billings / Montana
Old Governor’s	Helena	Historical Society
Rappaport Mansion	Helena	Private
Roberts Mansion	Helena	Private
Sanders Mansion	Helena	Private
Story Mansion	Bozeman	City of Bozeman
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 Range	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	Locomotive/Cars	Other
Central Montana	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	badlands, mountain backdrops
Montana Rail Link	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	mountain backdrops
Rarus	No	Yes	Yes (period)	Yes	shop, turntable
Western Montana	No	Yes	No	Yes
Montana Shortline	No	No	Yes (period)	Yes	connects Virginia City & Nevada City,
					1911 Baldwin steam engine and tender
Charlie Russell	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	dining entertainment cars, plains, mountain backdrops
Chew Choo

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	406.265.8404
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	800.223.9609
Discovery Ski Area	Anaconda	1,670 feet	210 inches	888.678.7669
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	877.822.0340
Red Lodge Mountain	Red Lodge	2,400 feet	250 inches	406.446.2610
Showdown Montana	Neihart	1,400 feet	240 inches	800.433.0022
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
House of Mystery and Vortex	Columbia Falls	unique houses
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
National Bison Range	Moiese	antler tower
Wildlife Refuge
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	Red Lodge / Cooke City	cascade	drive to
Cataract	Augusta	cascade	drive to
Crazy Creek	Cooke City	cascade	drive to
Crow Creek	Helena	plunge	walk to, 2 1/4 mile path
Double Falls	Great Falls / Augusta	cascade	drive to
Holland	Seeley Lake	plunge	walk to, 1 1/2 mile path
Lost Creek	Anaconda	cascade	walk to, 100 yard path
Natural Bridge	Big Timber	plunge	drive to
Palisade	Bozeman	plunge	walk to, 1/4 mile paved path
Running Eagle	East Glacier	cascade	walk to, 1/4 mile path
Silver Stairs	Essex / East Glacier	cascade	drive to
Skalkaho	Hamilton	cascade	drive to
Swiftcurrent	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
Grant Kohrs Ranch	Deer Lodge	No	National Park Service
Hell Roarin' Gulch	Butte	Yes	Private
Marysville	Helena (25 miles northwest)	No	Private
Midasberg	Ennis (20 miles north)	No	Private
"Morning Star" Fort	Billings (10 miles north)	No	Private
Mule Ranch	Anaconda (15 miles south)	No	Montana State Parks
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

Location Breakdown

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