Big Timber

Flanked by the Absaroka-Beartooths and the Crazy Mountains, the town of Big Timber sits at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Boulder rivers, serving as a great starting point for a multi-day adventure. It’s a quiet, historic town that welcomes guests with signs for fishing and hiking right off of First Avenue. 

It’s all about family and frontier in this community of 1,600, where western storefronts and old saloons color downtown. If you’re hungry from the day’s toil, near the train yard stands the Thirsty Turtle Tavern & Grill, serving a giant walleye sammy or stacked half-pound mushroom-Swiss burger. Or visit the Grand Hotel, which stands like a red-brick beacon on McLeod Street. Since 1890, the hotel has offered lodging, meals, and spirits to cowboys, travelers, railroad men, miners, and many more. Quaint local shops allow you to snag souvenirs or stock up for the next day’s activities. 

If you enjoy history, the outdoors, and hospitality, it’s well worth the short drive from Bozeman. Old barns, horses at pasture, trains, and weathered grain silos line the horizon along the road to Big Timber.