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February 10, 2024
South Billings - All about nature
Explore Along the Yellowstone River
With so many places to engage with nature, you can unleash your inner outsider and jump in with both feet. South Billings is chock full of options along the Yellowstone River, from fishing, walking, hiking, boating, floating, kayaking, bird-watching, and even horseback riding, you can forge your own path with gusto.
Where to Stay
There is no shortage of options for a comfy place to stay along the southern corridor of Billings. In fact, the world’s first Kampground of America, the award-winning Billings KOA Holiday, is nestled right along the mighty Yellowstone and is the perfect choice for those wanting to be close to the great outdoors. They have everything you need, from a pool, playground, and adventure golf, to fishing, hiking and biking just a step away. And if glamping isn’t your thing, don’t fret. There are plenty of great places to stay all along the way.
Where to Eat
Before you head outside to embrace the day, you’ll most likely need some strong coffee and hearty grub. Stop by the Muzzle Loader Café and fill your tank with their famous Chicken Fried Steak or a plate of biscuits and gravy and a coffee cup that will never run dry. If specialty flavors and novelty hand-crafted sodas are your craving, try Maple Moose Coffee and Pop Shop for a fun treat. Their signature drink is the Maple Moose, an oat milk latte with brown sugar, maple syrup and cinnamon, or nab a Thundercloud Soda for the kids, made with blue raspberry and vanilla and topped with a dollop of cotton candy on top.
For dinner, you have the makings for a perfect meal to enjoy at your picnic table alongside the river. Visit Seafoods of the World and choose from over 325 of the finest quality fresh and frozen seafood options to throw on the grill. Then stop by the Gardner’s Market at South Park for locally grown fresh fruits and veggies to add to your plate. Last, don’t forget the wine! Yellowstone Cellars & Winery is a family-owned winery that has been handcrafting French and Italian-style red and white wines since 2010. With grapes sourced from family-owned vineyards located in the Yakima Valley of Washington, they process, ferment and age all their wines in-house. Stop by and pick up a bottle or two, or better yet, stay and sample a few options in their lovely tasting room.
Things To Do
For those that love the unencumbered spirit of the outdoors and the mystery of the west, there’s no better place to experience it than along the Yellowstone River of South Billings. Just off the Lockwood Exit (452) on Coburn Rd, you’ll find Four Dances Recreation Area, 765 acres of undeveloped open space with native sagebrush and prairie, ponderosa pines along rocky outcrops, native cottonwoods, and cliffs that offer a spectacular view of the winding Yellowstone River. There are trails and ample opportunities to take some incredible photographs of the scenery, and a few selfies as well! Head further down the road and check in with Bitter Creek Outfitters, a family-owned business providing scenic trail-riding excursions on a working cattle ranch. They offer guided tours and will treat you to a leisurely jaunt across the beautiful prairie amidst sandstone rimrocks, through ponderosa pines and stunning wildflower fields. Truly a unique way to experience the valley. Then be sure not to miss Pictograph State Park a few miles further. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 because of its archeological significance - prehistoric hunters who camped in the caves left behind artifacts and over 100 pictographs, with the oldest rock art in the cave dating over 2,000 years old.
Head west on I-90 and take the 27th St. Exit (450) and head south on Charlene Street to visit Coulson Park, the last remaining vestige of the original booming railroad town of Coulson, a precursor to the city of Billings. The park is vast with walking trails and access to the winding river – a great place to take the kids or dogs for a walk and enjoy the beauty of the land.
A few more miles down I-90 you’ll take the Blue Creek Exit (447), where you’ll find wildlife, trails and ever-changing landscapes at the Montana Audubon Center, an organization committed to conservation of Montana’s native birds and the natural ecosystems that are their homes. Stop by the center to learn more about the local wildlife and habitats, or walk across the dirt drive and enjoy the more than two miles of trails at Norm Schoenthal Island and spot your own aviary friends. The trails are a popular walking spot for those with or without dogs, and they follow the river with multiple points of access for your pup to grab a drink! And don’t miss Billings’ largest river park, Riverfront Park, with developed lawn areas, natural trails, picnic areas and the popular Lake Josephine and Cochran Pond.
Take a short trip across I-90 and find Amend Park, a 60-acre multi-use recreational complex, which serves primarily as a soccer facility for the Billings area. Every manner of outdoor sport is played, from soccer and lacrosse clubs to ultimate frisbee, cross-country meets, and the Big Sky State Games, an Olympic-style sports festival held every year for Montanans of any age or ability. You will also find great shopping just down the street at Cabela’s sporting goods and Sam’s Club.