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Best of the West
A 2-day Great Escape into the clean air, endless skies, and a kaleidoscope of badlands, flatlands, and highlands that includes history, culture, trophy fishing, and a really great steak. If you want to enjoy continuously-changing scenery, travel north on Highway 87 out of Billings and drive to Roundup and the beautiful Bull Mountains. While not the highest mountain range in Montana, the Bulls offer some of the most scenic vistas in the state. Roundup offers shopping of all kinds, two museums and their scenic “River Walk.”
From Roundup, drive east on Highway 12 and take in some of the unusual sandstone structures visible along the route. Be sure to stop in Ingomar, once one of the world's leading sheep-producing regions, and home today to the historic Jersey Lilly Saloon. This rustic 100-plus-year-old building is a great place to have lunch or a snack. Be sure to try the "Best Cowboy Beans in the West" and their "sheep-herders' hors d'ouvres." If you call ahead, you can even arrange to take a ride on a real horse-drawn stagecoach to see the buffalo herd that calls the area home. You can even stay overnight at the Bunk ‘n’ Biscuit B&B.
Proceeding south and east on highway 12 brings you to Forsyth, county seat of Rosebud County and the site of one of the most beautiful courthouses in Montana. Forsyth is also home every year to the "Matthew Quigley Buffalo Rifle Match " where over 500 participants, many dressed in 19th century garb, shoot original and replica black powder rifles at metal silhouette targets up to 1/2 mile away. Additionally, Forsyth is a hub for railroad traffic hauling coal and grain from the plains of Montana to destinations throughout the world. You'll also want to stop at the Rosebud County Museum to view some of their unusual collections.
From Forsyth, it’s only an hour-and-half west on I-94 back to Billings. Along the way, you can stop in Hysham to visit the Treasure County Museum in the “Yucca Theater,” one of eastern Montana’s more unique structures.
And don’t forget to stop at Pompeys Pillar, just 26 miles west of Billings. This famous sandstone outcropping is famous for the signature that Capt. William Clark carved into it in 1806 on his return leg of the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery. Climb to the top and you’ll enjoy a vista that is very much like the view Clark and his men experienced over 200 years ago.
When you get back to Billings, take advantage of big city entities like spas and fine dining. As Montana’s largest city, it is unequaled in the state for the variety of entertaining and relaxing diversions available.
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