After visiting Whitefish, Missoula, Helena and Bozeman, we had a quick overnight stop in Billings on the eastern side of the state. We’d originally not planned to visit Billings as people had said it’s not very pretty (they were correct) and that there’s nothing interesting there.
On that latter point they weren’t correct. There ended up being a few places we were interested in visiting in that general area, so we cut short our time in Bozeman by one day in order to have a quick overnight in Billings.
Here’s a quick rundown of where we stayed and what we did.
Where We Stayed
We stayed at the Home2 Suites Billings that night. Home2 Suites is one of Hilton’s brands and we booked it using 35,000 Hilton Honors points.
The main reason we picked this property is because it was the best value option that included a kitchen. We still had refrigerated food from our stay at the Element in Bozeman and would be staying in a suite with a kitchen at our next destination (Dickinson, ND), so staying at the Home2 Suites meant we could keep our freezer blocks frozen for the long drive the next day.
What We Did
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument
On our drive from Bozeman, we drove past Billings about half an hour in order to visit Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. It was blazing hot that day and we had Truffles with us, so I stayed with her in the car while Shae hopped out at some of the stops along the drive around the park. Here’s her account:
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument recounts what has traditionally been known as “Custer’s Last Stand” and has painted the indigenous people involved in the battle as the aggressors. In reality, this was a final stand against the reservation system forcing indigenous people off of their traditional lands by the US Government. The Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument explores this along an auto tour, through a guide book (a worthy purchase for a few dollars – or you can borrow and return one at the cemetery), and through exhibits – although at the time we visited the visitor’s center was closed for remodeling.
You can find graves for historical figures, both associated with the Battle of Little Bighorn, as well as the colonization and settlement of Montana. For example, you can see the grave of Marcus A. Reno (Custer’s 2nd in Command) but you can also see the grave of Mrs. Julia Roach, a woman who was murdered by her husband at the fort. You won’t see the grave of Custer as he was reinterred at West Point Cemetery.
One thing that I enjoyed as you drove along was the markers showing where both sides of the conflict died. There are white markers for those from the US 7th Cavalry and brown markers for the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho who died during the battle too.
It’s worth playing the auto audio tour as it gave interesting information along the route.
One thing to note, this park is not dog-friendly at all. You may have your dog in the car, but once you are through the gates they cannot exit the vehicle. This is different from other less, dog-friendly, National Park sites that may still allow dogs to get out at overlooks, parking lots, and picnic areas, a policy also known as “paws on pavement.” No paws on pavement, grass, or anywhere else is allowed at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument. If you need to walk, feed or water your dog, you need to do that before you enter the National Monument site. There’s a Conoco less than a mile away which is perfect for this.
Big Horn County Historical Museum
The next morning we stopped in at the Big Horn County Historical Museum on our way to Dickinson. This is the largest historical museum in Montana and features more than 25 historic buildings spread out over 35 acres.
The buildings included cabins, an art studio, a school, a train depot and more and they were filled with historic artifacts.
What We Missed
Seeing as we only spent one night in Billings, we didn’t get to visit all the places we might’ve liked – here’s some other stuff in the area that looked interesting:
- Pompeys Pillar National Monument (contains the only remaining onsite evidence of the Lewis and Clark Expedition)
- Four Dances Recreation Area
- Pictograph Cave State Park
- Chief Plenty Coups State Park
[…] early and staying overnight in Billings so that we’d be closer to those other attractions (check out this post for more about what we did in Billings). That meant we only had four days to explore […]