Guillaume de Vaudrey also contributed to this article Billings is the largest city in Montana, located in the Yellowstone River Valley. The metropolitan area has a population of around 171,000. So, while large for Montana, it is certainly small enough for a quaint, uncrowded time.
Flying into Billings is easy, and there are nonstop flights from Dallas, a gateway city to the Wild West. Of course, summer offers all kinds of lovely adventures, and with the popular “Yellowstone” television show, many visitors these days are clamoring to visit Montana. That is why my recommendation is definitely Billings.
Stay at the centrally located Northern Hotel in downtown Billings, which has two restaurants, including Bernie’s Diner, a traditional diner with a modern twist. The hotel was built in 1902, burned down in 1940, and reopened in 1942. It closed again in 2006, was sold at auction, and reopened again in 2013 as one of Montana’s finest.
My first stop in Billings was a visit to Swords Park atop the Rimrocks. This 60-acre natural park is where visitors and locals hike and bike. The Rimrocks is a 70-million-year-old sandstone formation greatly featured in the Billings landscape, and it is a clever way to get a lay of the land on arrival.
While in Montana, I knew I had to take in the history of the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. The area where this battlefield is located serves as a memorial to the history of this part of the United States and its true Native Americ.