5 Best Sights in Big Snowy Mountains, Billings, Little Big Horn, and the Montana Plains

The second-highest point in the Big Snowies is Big Snowy, also called Old Baldy. Just 41 feet shorter than Greathouse Peak, the 8,640-foot-high mountain makes an enjoyable climb. A designated path, Maynard Ridge Trail, follows an old jeep road almost to the summit. The peak is a barren plateau with a small rocky outcropping marking the highest point.

In the higher reaches of the mountains is pristine Crystal Lake. There's excellent hiking along interpretive and wildflower trails as well as camping, fossil hunting, and ice-cave exploration. The ice cave is a 5-mile hike from the 28-site campground; June is the best time to see the 30-foot ice pillars formed over the winter. There's a cabin 6 miles from the gate for snowmobilers, cross-country skiers, and snowshoers, but it's closed when the snow is too deep to navigate (which is most of the winter). Motorized boats are not allowed on the lake.

At 8,681 feet, Greathouse Peak is the tallest mountain in the Big Snowies. Vehicles are permitted on Forest Service roads that reach partially to the peak, but the simplest way up is to hike the 6 miles of unmarked trails that zigzag up the slope from Halfmoon Canyon. The main trail, which is only mildly strenuous, doesn't quite make it to the top; to reach the summit, you'll need to hike a few yards off the main path. You'll know you've reached the highest point when you see the two stone cairns. The Judith Ranger Station in Stanford is your best source for Snowies information.

Any combination of U.S. 12, U.S. 191, U.S. 87, and I–90 will make a quick route to Billings. However, if you have the time, try getting off the main roads. The square of beautiful country between these four highways is the location of Halfbreed Lake National Wildlife Refuge, part of the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. The several thousand acres of Halfbreed encompass a seasonally wet lake and wetlands, creeks, and grassy plains. Wildlife includes grouse, waterfowl, grasslands birds, deer, and antelope. This is a favorite spot for birders.

A pair of 1909 sandstone buildings in the town of Harlowton, 25 miles southwest of the mountains, house the Upper Musselshell Museum. The collection primarily contains artifacts of the people who lived in, worked, and developed the land around the Upper Musselshell River. There are also fossils of bison and dinosaurs (including a full-size reproduction of "Ava," from the recently discovered species Avaceratops) in the two buildings in Harlowtown's small but picturesque commercial district.