Zoo Montana, Billings

Montana's zoological park and botanical garden plays host to around 70,000 visitors a year and is one of the State's most popular tourist attractions, the only zoo within 600 miles (965km) of Billings. The complex covers 70 acres to the west of the city, exhibiting animals and plants native to the northern Rockies and high plains, and similar latitudes in Europe and Asia, in state-of-the-art natural habitats.

Opening Times:
Daily from 10am to 5pm (1 May to 24 September); 10am to 4pm (24 September to 30 April). Admissions close one hour before grounds close

Admission:
$6.25 (adults), $4.25 (seniors), $3.25 (children 3-15)

Yellowstone Art Museum, Billings

The popular Yellowstone Art Museum exhibits contemporary and historic art of the Rocky Mountain West region. Established in 1984, the museum now contains more than 3,000 works, including the Virginia Snook Collection, the largest public display of the drawings, paintings, books and memorabilia of cowboy illustrator Will James.

Opening Times:
Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday from 10am to 5pm; Thursday and Friday from 10am to 8pm; Sunday from 11am to 4pm; closed on Mondays and major holidays

Admission:
$5 (adults); $3 (students with ID and children 6-18); under 6's are free

Western Heritage Center, Billings

The Western Heritage Center in downtown Billings, affiliated to the Smithsonian Institution, has a collection of more than 16,000 artefacts documenting the life, culture and history of the Yellowstone River Valley. The centre's constantly changing gallery exhibitions draw around 22,000 visitors a year.

Opening Times:
Tuesday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm; closed on Sundays, Mondays and major holidays

Admission:
$5 (adults), $3 (seniors and students); $1 (children under 12)

Moss Mansion Historic House, Billings

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Moss Mansion was the 1903-built home of the Preston Boyd Moss family, and has been preserved to capture the family life of the well-to-do of the era. The house was designed by New York architect, Henry Janeway Hardenbergh, whose best-known work was New York's Waldorf Astoria.

Opening Times:
Guided tours take place every hour: (in Summer) from Monday to Saturday, 9am to 4pm, and Sunday 1pm to 3pm; (in Winter) Daily from 1pm to 3pm

Admission:
$7 (adults), $3 (children 6-12). Group rates and other concessions are also available

Pictograph Cave State Park, Billings

Listed as a National Historic Landmark, Pictograph Cave State Park - located just six miles (about 10km) south of Billings - provides an ideal setting for a wonderfully scenic, historically fascinating day-trip. Covering an area of 93 acres, the Park is home to a complex of three caves (Ghost, Middle and Pictograph), linked by a paved walking trail. Two of these three caves contain evidence of habitation dating back over 4,500 years ago - and to date, over 30,000 historical artefacts, such as bone tools, arrow heads, and beaded jewellery, have been discovered within the park. The pictographs that give the park its name date from over 2,200 years ago, and their meaning is still being debated by archaeologists. Visitors to the park can anticipate pristine picnic areas, and interpretive signage, which provides good information about the prehistoric paintings, as well as the area's geology and vegetation.

Opening Times:
Open between May 1st and September 30th

Admission:
$5, payable at the Visitor's Centre

Missoula, Billings

The 'Garden City' doesn't have much in the way of gardens but it is an outdoor sportsman's Eden. Situatyed right in the middle of cowboy-land, this is a liberal hub of hippies, students and outdoor nuts. Downtown is a collection of unique shops and lively bars where it is easier to walk or bike than drive. The University of Montana starts right where the hill ends and is a beautiful campus to wander, or catch a football game to see the definition of school spirit. Tourists often visit for outdoor activities of all kinds from skiing, kayaking, hiking and rock climbing to hang-gliding and mountain biking. Festivals from Ale Fest (beer) to Testy Fest (cow balls) make their home here, so come ready to celebrate and play.

Yellowstone National Park, Billings

The world's first national park, Yellowstone was established in 1872 and despite its popularity today, most of the park still remains an undeveloped wilderness of magnificent mountain scenery, waterfalls, alpine lakes and rivers. It is renowned for its geothermal wonders and abundance of wildlife. Spilling over into Wyoming and Idaho, the enormous park is situated on top of the Yellowstone Caldera, a collapsed volcanic crater that was formed 600,000 years ago and holds within it the greatest geothermic area in the world. This unique environment includes features such as exploding geysers, thousands of steaming fumaroles, hot springs and bubbling mud pools, and is where the park's most famous attraction, the Old Faithful Geyser is to be found, drawing thousands of tourists to witness its regular eruption of steaming water. Yellowstone is also home to the largest concentration of wildlife in lower USA, including grizzly and black bears, wolves, moose, and large herds of bison and elk. The two narrow waterfalls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River cut a striking picture in the yellow-coloured rock that gives the park its name, with superb views and hiking trails for all abilities. The large alpine Yellowstone Lake fills the eastern part of the caldera and offers opportunities for boating and fishing expeditions in summer. All places of interest are accessible along the loop roads, but the intensity of visitors in summer, especially between July and August, means that one needs to hike away from the main paths to experience the true wilderness of Yellowstone National Park.

Getting There:
A bus service from Bozeman to West Yellowstone is available all year. Commercial transportation from Bozeman to Gardiner is available during the winter and summer seasons

Opening Times:
The five major visitor centres are open in summer only, generally from 8am to 7pm daily, except the Albright Visitor Center, which is the largest and is open year-round with reduced hours in winter. Of the park's five entrances, the North Entrance near Gardiner is the only one that remains open year-round to traffic. Some areas and roads are not accessible during winter

Admission:
$25 (vehicle), $20 (snowmobile or motorcycle), $12 (individual hiker or cyclist). This fee provides visitors with a seven-day entrance permit to both Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Custer National Forest, Billings

The Custer National Forest is scattered across Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota, but the forest headquarters are in Billings, Montana, and most hiking and camping is undertaken in the part of the forest located about an hour's drive to the south of the city. The Custer is the most ecologically diverse forest in the north of the USA, renowned for its lake and stream fishing and home to mountain goats, big horn sheep, elk, muley and white-tailed deer, black bear, cougar and moose. A popular outing from Billings is to follow the spectacular Beartooth Scenic Byway. The Beartooth area is also one of the gateways to the Yellowstone National Park.