Big Sky Montana Tourism Attractions

Big Sky Montana
> Attractions

Powder playground and wilderness wonderland, Big Sky is Montana at it’s best. World-class skiing, hiking, fly fishing, and rafting means Big Sky is big adventure – year round.

Natural Attractions:

  • Gallatin National Forest
    Spanning 1.8-million acres and six mountain ranges, Gallatin National Forest is a wilderness playground of trout streams, snow-capped peaks, and big game wildlife.
  • Bridger Mountains
    Part of Gallatin National Forest and just Northeast of Bozeman, the Bridger range offers tons of outdoor recreation, including skiing at Bridger Bowl.
  • Madison Mountains
    The Madison Range is home to 11,231 ft Hilgard Peak, the tallest mountain in Montana outside of the Beartooth Mountains.
  • Gallatin River Canyon
    Stop to fish along the 70 miles of winding river and road run through this deep-carved canyon between the Madison and Gallatin ranges
  • Yellowstone National Park
    Massive herds of bison and elk roam the two-million-plus acres that make up Yellowstone, America’s first National Park. Drive its 300-some miles of paved road to take in the geysers and the grandeur of the largest intact ecosystem in the continental U.S.
  • Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
    Take a summer-time guided tour of the stalactites and stalagmites in one of the largest limestone caverns in the Northwest.
  • Madison River Valley
    An Angler’s paradise, the Madison River is home to thousands of rainbow trout per each of the river’s 183 miles.
  • Quake Lake
    Formed almost instantly when an earthquake caused an 80 million ton rock slide to block the Madison River in 1959, this natural wonder can be viewed from the Earthquake Lake Visitor’s Center, 66 miles Southwest of Big Sky.
  • Gallatin Mountains
    Spanning across 75 miles, the Gallatin Range is a collection of dramatic 10,000 ft peaks.
  • Hebgen Lake
    Camp, boat, fish, and swim at this spectacular man-made lake brimming with browns, cutthroats and rainbows.
  • Lone Peak
    Iconic 11,166-foot Lone Peak dominates the Big Sky landscape. Ride the tram in the winter for expert skiing or make the trek by trail in the summer for the 360-degree view of three states, two national parks, and dozens of dramatic peaks.
  • Nature and Wildlife
    Bighorn sheep lick salt off the side of 64, moose and elk wander into local back yards, and eagles swoop down from towering pines. No need to get out your binoculars here, wildlife in Big Sky is up-close and personal.

Museums

  • Museum of the Rockies
    Meet the original Montana natives - Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops, on display at the Museum of the Rockies’ dinosaur collection. Then visit the Taylor Planetarium or the Living History Farm, where period reenactors keep up the small homestead farm.
  • Historic Crail Ranch
    This 1902 homestead still stands in The Meadow area of Big Sky, offering free historic weekend tours during the summer months.
  • Historic Karst Camp
    Check out the original 1901 cabins and asbestos mine of homesteader Pete Karst in this Montana ghost town.

Attractions & Entertainment

  • Big Sky Resort
    3,812 skiable acres, 4,350 vertical feet, and 400 inches of annual snowfall. Big Sky Resort is known for endless powder and crowdless skiing.
  • Moonlight Basin
    Moonlight’s 1,900 skiable acres and 4,150 vertical feet join with Big Sky Resort to form the largest skiing terrain in America.
  • IMAX Theater
    Located at the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park, this IMAX theater shows educational movies like Yellowstone year round. Experience the history, wildlife, and geology of America’s first national park on the jumbo screen before stepping outside to see it for yourself.
  • Virginia City
    Pan for gold or witness an old fashioned melodrama in this frozen-in-time gold rush mining city 40 miles west of Big Sky.
  • Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center
    Born in captivity or labeled “nuisance bears,” the grizzlies and wolves at the Discovery Center are unable to live in the wild. Instead, they roam the animal sanctuary, giving you a chance to get a rare up-close look at these great beasts.
  • Meadow Village
    Whether it’s playing shuffleboard at Lone Peak Brewery, broomball on the town ice rink, or eating Thai food at The Lotus Pad, the local action happens in the Meadow Village, Big Sky’s town center.
  • Spanish Peaks
    One of Big Sky’s private clubs and living communities, offering fine dining and a private lift to Big sky resort.

Questions & Answers

Other Area Attractions Resources

Harriman State Park

Hiking, fishing, camping and cross country skiing are are popular at Harriman State Park.