Flying to Billings, Montana
Billings Logan International Airport (BIL) is the busiest airport in Montana and Wyoming, serving as the regional hub for the Northern Plains and Rockies. FareOptic compares Alaska, Delta, United, and American for the cheapest fare into Big Sky Country.
Flights to Billings Logan International Airport (BIL)
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Why Visit Billings?
Little Bighorn 65 miles east, 4,500-year-old Pictograph Cave rock art, the Rimrocks defining the city's northern skyline, and the Beartooth Highway's 10,947-foot pass to Yellowstone
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument -- 65 Miles East of Billings, the Site of the Most Famous Engagement of the American Indian Wars and the Last Major Lakota-Cheyenne Victory Against the US Army
Where Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and 263 Men of the 7th Cavalry Were Killed on June 25-26 1876 by Lakota Sioux and Northern Cheyenne Warriors in the Battle the Army Called Custer's Last StandLittle Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (I-90 Exit 510, Crow Agency, MT -- 65 miles east of Billings via I-90; the NPS-managed battlefield preserving the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, June 25-26, 1876 -- the engagement in which Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer and all 5 of his immediate cavalry companies [210 men, C, E, F, I, and L companies of the 7th Cavalry] were annihilated by a combined force of approximately 1,500-2,000 Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors led by Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, Gall, Two Moons, and other leaders; total 7th Cavalry losses for the 2-day battle were 268 killed and 55 wounded, the largest US Army defeat in the Indian Wars) is the most visited battlefield site in the western United States and one of the most historically significant. The battlefield's landscape is largely unchanged from 1876: rolling prairie grassland (now within the Crow Indian Reservation -- the battlefield itself is federal land within the reservation) with the same hills, ravines, and timber thickets that defined the battle's geography. Key battlefield sites: (1) Last Stand Hill (the knoll where Custer's immediate command made its final defensive stand -- now marked by the 7th Cavalry memorial obelisk and the white marble headstones of cavalrymen who fell in the final minutes of the battle, placed where each man's body was found); (2) the Indian Memorial (dedicated 2003 -- a circular NPS memorial representing the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors who fought here, the first battlefield memorial in US history to commemorate Native American combatants); (3) Reno-Benteen Battlefield (2 miles south -- where Major Marcus Reno's battalion was besieged for 36 hours after its retreat from the valley fight; Reno's 150-man defensive perimeter held against repeated attacks while Custer's column was destroyed 4 miles north); and (4) the Deep Ravine Trail (where surviving evidence suggests 28 troopers from E Company attempted to escape down the ravine and were killed -- the bodies were never all recovered).
The Battle's Military and Historical Context -- Why the Army Lost, Why the Victory Was Short-Lived, and Why the Little Bighorn Remains the Defining Engagement of the American Indian Wars
The Battle of the Little Bighorn's outcome resulted from a convergence of Custer's tactical decisions, the Lakota-Cheyenne encampment's size (2,000-3,000 warriors in the largest single Native American military concentration of the 19th century, camped in a 3-mile-long village on the Little Bighorn River -- 5-10 times larger than Army intelligence had estimated), and the terrain. Custer's decision to divide his regiment into 4 columns (Benteen's battalion to scout left; Reno's battalion to attack the village's south end; McDougall's company with the pack train; and Custer's own 5 companies to attack from the north) reflected standard Army tactics against Native encampments -- but those tactics assumed a village that would flee rather than fight. The Lakota-Cheyenne warriors chose to fight: when Reno's frontal attack on the village's south end was repulsed, the warriors turned north to meet Custer's column. The battle lasted approximately 1 hour at Last Stand Hill. The tactical victory was strategically irreversible for the Native coalition: within 18 months, the US Army had mobilized additional forces across Montana Territory, destroyed the coalition's winter camps, killed Crazy Horse's surrender party (1877), and forced Sitting Bull to flee to Canada. By 1881, the Lakota-Cheyenne resistance was broken. The Little Bighorn was the high point and the effective end of the Plains Indian military resistance to US expansion.
Pictograph Cave State Park -- Prehistoric Rock Art Created 2,000 to 4,500 Years Ago in Sandstone Caves 5 Miles South of Downtown Billings
Three Caves with Over 100 Pictographs Depicting Warriors, Animals, and Ceremonial Figures Painted by People Who Lived in the Yellowstone Valley Before the Crow Nation Arrived -- Excavated to Reveal 10,000 Years of Continuous Human OccupationPictograph Cave State Park (3401 Coburn Road, Billings -- 5 miles southeast of downtown Billings via Coburn Road, in the sandstone rimrock canyon country south of the Yellowstone River; three interconnected caves -- Pictograph Cave, Middle Cave, and Ghost Cave -- carved by water erosion in the 330-million-year-old Pennsylvanian sandstone of the Huntley Anticline) contains one of the most significant collections of prehistoric rock art in the northern Great Plains: more than 100 individual pictographs (painted rock art -- as distinguished from petroglyphs, which are carved) in red, white, and black pigments, depicting human figures (warriors, hunters, ceremonial participants), animals (bison, elk, wolves, bear), weapons (shields, bows, lances), and abstract symbols. The pictographs in the cave span multiple time periods: the oldest images (at least 4,500 years old, possibly older) are in a naturalistic style depicting bison hunting; Middle Period images (2,000-1,000 years old) show warrior figures with shields and weapons in an increasingly stylized form; and the most recent images (post-1000 CE) include depictions of horses and European trade goods, indicating continuity of site use into the historic period. Archaeological excavation of the cave floor (conducted by the Montana State Highway Department in the 1930s-1940s, and by the University of Montana and NPS in subsequent decades) recovered artifacts demonstrating continuous human occupation of the cave for at least 10,000 years: Clovis-era stone tools (9,000-11,000 BCE), middle Archaic period tools and food remains, and historic-period trade goods. The park's interpretive trail connects the three caves with signs explaining the pictograph subjects and the site's archaeological record.
The Crow Nation and the Yellowstone Valley -- How Apsáalooke Territory Became Montana's Largest Reservation and Why Billings Sits on the Traditional Crow Homeland
The Crow Nation (Apsáalooke -- 'Children of the Large-Beaked Bird') arrived in the Yellowstone River valley from the Great Lakes region approximately 300-400 years ago after separating from the Hidatsa people (their closest linguistic relatives) in what is now North Dakota. By the 18th century, the Crow had become one of the northern Plains' most skilled equestrian cultures, ranging across a territory that encompassed the entire Yellowstone watershed from the Bighorn Mountains to the Missouri River confluence -- including the land where Billings now stands. The Crow Treaty of 1851 (Fort Laramie) established a Crow territory of approximately 38.5 million acres. The Crow Reservation, created by subsequent treaties (1868, 1882) and executive orders, reduced Crow territory to its current 2.3 million acres (the largest reservation in Montana) in the Bighorn River valley south and east of Billings. The Crow Nation today has approximately 13,000 enrolled members and its tribal government is headquartered at Crow Agency -- the same community adjacent to Little Bighorn Battlefield. The Crow, notably, allied with the US Army against the Lakota and Cheyenne at the Little Bighorn and in the broader Indian Wars -- a decision rooted in the Crow's own conflicts with the Lakota, who had driven the Crow from the Powder River country in the generation before the Little Bighorn battle.
The Rimrocks -- The 500-Foot Sandstone Cliffs That Define Billings' Northern Skyline and Give Montana's Largest City Its Most Distinctive Geographic Feature
330-Million-Year-Old Pennsylvanian Sandstone Formations That Run 10 Miles Along Billings' North Edge, with Trails, Overlooks, Boothill Cemetery (Where Some of Billings' Most Notorious 1880s Residents Are Buried), and the Best Views of the Yellowstone River ValleyThe Rimrocks (the escarpment of Pennsylvanian-age (330 million years old) Casper sandstone that forms the northern boundary of Billings' Yellowstone River valley -- a 10-mile-long cliff system running roughly east-west along Billings' northern edge, rising 300-500 feet above the city floor to the plateau that extends north toward the Pryor Mountains and Big Snowy Mountains) are the defining geographic feature of Billings and the most visually distinctive characteristic of Montana's largest city (population 120,000, the most populous city in Montana and Wyoming combined). The Rimrocks are accessible via Rimrock Road (the paved road that runs along the base of the cliffs), the Rimrock Trail (a maintained hiking trail along the cliff top with views of the city, Yellowstone River, and south toward the Beartooth Range), and multiple formal overlooks including Black Otter Trail (2.3 miles along the rim, connecting Boothill Cemetery to the Yellowstone County Museum) and the Two Moon Park system (in the Yellowstone River floodplain below the east end of the Rimrocks, with 3 miles of trails through cottonwood forest and river habitat). Boothill Cemetery (at the western end of the Rimrock rim, accessible from Black Otter Trail) is the burial ground for some of Billings' most colorful early residents: the 1880s-1890s cattle boom and railroad construction era deposited a community that included cattle rustlers, frontier lawmen, gamblers, and early business pioneers, several of whom are interred here with original sandstone markers.
The Yellowstone River -- The Last Undammed Major River in the Contiguous United States, and Why Billings Sits at the Point Where the Yellowstone Valley Widens from Mountain Canyon to Plains Corridor
The Yellowstone River (682 miles from its headwaters in Yellowstone National Park to its confluence with the Missouri River at the Montana-North Dakota border -- the longest undammed river in the contiguous United States: not a single dam blocks the Yellowstone's flow from Yellowstone Lake to the Missouri) passes through Billings in a wide, braided valley between the Rimrocks on the north and the Pryor Mountains on the south. Billings was established precisely at this geographic point: the Northern Pacific Railroad's 1882 terminus (the railroad town was platted by Frederick Billings, a New York attorney and Northern Pacific board member) exploited the wide valley floor's level terrain and the Yellowstone River's water supply. The Yellowstone's undammed character (the result of sustained opposition by Montana farmers who rely on the river's natural flow for irrigation and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, which has blocked dam proposals since the 1970s) makes it one of North America's most important riparian habitat corridors: the river's natural flood pulses maintain the cottonwood gallery forest in the valley bottom (cottonwood reproduces only on fresh gravel bars deposited by floods), which in turn supports one of the highest concentrations of breeding songbirds in the Great Plains and the trout fishery that makes the Yellowstone one of Montana's premier fly-fishing rivers.
Beartooth Highway -- The Most Beautiful Drive in America (According to Charles Kuralt), Reaching 10,947 Feet Through Alpine Tundra and Glacially Sculpted Terrain, 60 Miles South of Billings via Red Lodge
US-212 from Red Lodge to Cooke City -- 68 Miles of Switchbacks Reaching the Beartooth Plateau at 10,947 Feet, Crossing into Wyoming and Back into Montana, Past Glacial Lakes and Snowfields That Persist Year-Round, and Delivering You to Yellowstone's Northeast EntranceThe Beartooth Highway (US-212, from Red Lodge, MT to Cooke City, MT -- 68 miles of two-lane highway that ascends from Red Lodge [5,553 feet] to the Beartooth Pass [10,947 feet] before descending through Wyoming and back into Montana to reach Cooke City and Yellowstone National Park's northeast entrance; open approximately Memorial Day to mid-October depending on snowpack -- the road is frequently closed by early October snowstorms and sometimes doesn't open until late June in heavy snow years) is consistently rated among the most scenic drives in the United States: in 1983, CBS journalist Charles Kuralt described it as 'the most beautiful drive in America,' a description that has been repeated so frequently it is now inseparable from the road's identity. The Beartooth Highway's geological and ecological context: the Beartooth Plateau (the high-elevation tableland the highway traverses) is one of the oldest exposed rock surfaces on earth -- Precambrian granite and gneiss 2.7-3.2 billion years old, among the most ancient rocks in the Rocky Mountain region, scraped bare by Pleistocene glaciation and now supporting an alpine tundra ecosystem above 9,500 feet. The highway passes: (1) Rock Creek Vista Point (10 miles from Red Lodge, first overlook with Red Lodge Canyon views -- the canyon was carved by glacial meltwater in the post-Ice Age Pleistocene); (2) Twin Lakes (two glacial lakes visible from the highway at approximately 9,800 feet, accessible by short trail); (3) Beartooth Pass top (10,947 feet -- July 4th snowfall is common; tundra wildflowers peak in late July); (4) the Wyoming border crossing (the highway enters Wyoming briefly before returning to Montana -- visitors can stand on the state line at the pass); and (5) the descent to Cooke City-Silver Gate (a small community of 75 permanent residents at the Yellowstone northeast entrance gate). From Billings, Red Lodge (the highway's base) is 60 miles south via US-212.
The Beartooth Range's Glacial History -- How Pleistocene Ice Sheets Carved the Plateau and Why the Beartooth Has More Alpine Tundra Than Any Other Area in the Lower 48 States
The Beartooth Range (the mountain block southwest of Billings and north of Yellowstone, spanning approximately 950 square miles in Montana and Wyoming at elevations of 9,000-12,799 feet [Granite Peak, Montana's highest point at 12,799 feet, is in the Beartooth Range]) was sculpted into its current cirque-lake-plateau configuration by multiple Pleistocene glaciations between 2 million and 12,000 years ago. The glaciations' evidence is visible from the Beartooth Highway: (1) Cirques -- the bowl-shaped hollows carved by glacial ice that now contain the Beartooth's 300+ alpine lakes (more lakes per square mile than any other mountain range in Montana); (2) Arêtes -- the knife-edge ridges between adjacent cirques, visible as the sharp peaks on the Beartooth skyline; (3) Glacial polish -- smooth, striated bedrock surfaces where glacial ice abraded the 2.7-billion-year-old granite base; and (4) Till and moraine deposits -- the unsorted rock debris left by glacier retreat, forming the irregular terrain in the valleys below the pass. The Beartooth Plateau above 10,000 feet is true arctic-alpine tundra: the same plant community found in the Arctic at sea level survives here because the growing season (frost-free period) is 6-8 weeks at most, precipitation arrives mainly as snow, and soil formation is minimal on the glacially polished granite surface. This tundra ecosystem supports Rocky Mountain white-tailed ptarmigan, American pikas, yellow-bellied marmots, and bighorn sheep adapted to the harsh high-elevation conditions.
How to Find Cheap Flights to Billings Montana
Book Early for Summer -- Billings Is the Gateway to Little Bighorn and the Beartooth Highway Seasonal Window
Summer (June-September) is Billings' peak travel season -- the Beartooth Highway is only open approximately Memorial Day to mid-October, and Little Bighorn Battlefield is busiest July 4th week (the battle's anniversary is June 25-26). Spring (May) and fall (September-October) offer lower prices and comfortable weather; the Beartooth Pass often has snow in late September. Ski season (November-April) serves local Montana visitors more than destination travelers.
Alaska Airlines and Delta Have the Most Frequent BIL Service -- United Is Best for Midwest Connections
Alaska Airlines (via SEA) and Delta (via SLC) offer the most frequent daily departures from Billings Logan International Airport. United (via DEN) is the best option for Chicago, Houston, and Eastern US connections. American Airlines (via DFW) provides coverage for Texas and Southeast. Check all four when comparing -- BIL is small enough that flight availability is limited and prices can vary dramatically by day of week.
Rent a Car at BIL -- Little Bighorn (65 Miles), Beartooth (60 Miles to Red Lodge), and Pictograph Cave All Require Driving
Billings Logan International Airport has all major rental car companies. A car is essential for reaching Little Bighorn (65 miles east on I-90), Red Lodge and the Beartooth Highway (60 miles south on US-212), and Pictograph Cave (5 miles south). Billings itself is a driving city with no meaningful public transit.
The Beartooth Highway Is Closed in Winter -- Visit May Through September for the Most Dramatic Drive
The Beartooth Highway (US-212, Red Lodge to Cooke City) is typically closed from mid-October through late May due to snowpack. Even in summer, the pass can experience snow flurries any month. Check Montana DOT road conditions before driving (511.mt.gov). The highway connects to Yellowstone National Park's northeast entrance -- combine with a Yellowstone visit for maximum value.
Airlines Flying to Billings Logan International Airport (BIL)
Alaska Airlines
SEA Hub Connections to BIL -- Alaska's Dominant Billings Service with Pacific Northwest and West Coast Network AccessAlaska Airlines is one of Billings Logan International Airport's (BIL) primary carriers, connecting Billings to Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) and providing onward connections across Alaska's Pacific Northwest and West Coast network. SEA-BIL nonstop service (approximately 1h 45m) is Alaska's primary Billings route, enabling efficient connections to Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Anchorage, and Alaska destinations. Alaska's Mileage Plan program and its West Coast network make it the preferred carrier for Montana-Pacific Coast travel.
Key Routes
SEA to BIL (1h 45m nonstop; LAS to BIL (via SEA; LAX to BIL (via SEA; SFO to BIL (via SEA; PDX to BIL (via SEA; ANC to BIL (via SEA; ORD to BIL (via SEA; Check AlaskaAir.com for seasonal nonstops
Delta Air Lines
SLC Hub Connections to BIL -- Delta's Western Montana Gateway via Salt Lake City with Full Domestic and International ConnectivityDelta Air Lines connects Billings (BIL) to its Salt Lake City (SLC) hub with SLC-BIL nonstop service (approximately 1h 15m -- the shortest hub connection from Billings to a major network hub), providing Delta's full domestic network and SLC's international connecting capacity. Delta also connects Billings through Los Angeles (LAX-BIL) and Atlanta (ATL-BIL via SLC or LAX). SLC's geographic position between Billings and the West Coast makes Delta's SLC hub the most time-efficient connection for California-bound Montana travelers.
Key Routes
SLC to BIL (1h 15m nonstop; LAX to BIL (via SLC; ATL to BIL (via SLC; JFK to BIL (via SLC; MSP to BIL (via SLC; DTW to BIL (via SLC; BOS to BIL (via SLC
United Airlines
DEN and SFO Hub Connections to BIL -- United's Billings Routes for Midwest and Central US ConnectionsUnited Airlines serves Billings (BIL) through Denver (DEN) and San Francisco (SFO) hubs, with DEN-BIL nonstop service (approximately 1h 40m) providing access to United's broad domestic network and international connections via Denver International Airport's global gateway. ORD-BIL connections through Denver offer efficient Chicago-to-Montana routing. United's Star Alliance membership provides international connecting capacity through Denver and San Francisco for European and Pacific destinations.
Key Routes
DEN to BIL (1h 40m nonstop; SFO to BIL (via DEN; ORD to BIL (via DEN; EWR to BIL (via DEN; IAD to BIL (via DEN; LAX to BIL (via DEN or SFO; HOU to BIL (via DEN
American Airlines
DFW Hub Connections to BIL -- American's Southern and Eastern US Access to Montana via Dallas/Fort WorthAmerican Airlines connects Billings (BIL) to the southern and eastern United States through Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), American's largest hub. DFW-BIL service provides efficient routing for Texas, Southeast, and East Coast travelers who need to reach the Billings/eastern Montana/Little Bighorn Battlefield corridor. American's regional express service (operated by Envoy Air and PSA Airlines with Embraer ERJ-145 equipment) handles much of BIL's connecting traffic through DFW.
Key Routes
DFW to BIL (via regional connection; CLT to BIL (via DFW; MIA to BIL (via DFW; ORD to BIL (via DFW; LAX to BIL (via DFW; PHX to BIL (via DFW; JFK to BIL (via DFW
Things to Do in Billings and Eastern Montana
Essential Info for Your Billings Trip
State / County
Yellowstone County, Montana. Largest city in Montana and Wyoming. Population approximately 120,000. Regional hub for eastern Montana, northern Wyoming, and the western Dakotas.
Airport
BIL -- Billings Logan International Airport, 2 miles north of downtown. Airlines: Alaska (SEA), Delta (SLC), United (DEN), American (DFW).
Currency
USD -- US Dollar
Time Zone
MST (UTC-7) / MDT (UTC-6) in summer -- Mountain Time, same as Denver and Salt Lake City
Little Bighorn Distance
65 miles east via I-90 to Exit 510 (Crow Agency) -- approximately 1 hour. NPS site, $25/vehicle entrance fee. Licensed battlefield guides available at visitor center.
Beartooth Highway
60 miles south to Red Lodge via US-212, then climb to 10,947 ft pass. Open approximately Memorial Day to mid-October. Check 511.mt.gov for current road conditions.
Pictograph Cave
5 miles southeast via Coburn Road -- Montana State Park, $8/vehicle fee. Prehistoric rock art 2,000-4,500+ years old. Short paved trail connects three caves.
Emergency Number
911
Most Popular Airlines
Best Airlines for Domestic & International Routes
Frequently Asked Questions on Flights to Billings
Airport info, Little Bighorn distance, Beartooth Highway access, and travel planning for eastern Montana
What airport serves Billings Montana?
Billings Logan International Airport (IATA: BIL) serves Billings, MT. It's 2 miles north of downtown Billings. Airlines: Alaska (via SEA), Delta (via SLC), United (via DEN), American (via DFW). It's the busiest airport in Montana and Wyoming.
How far is Little Bighorn Battlefield from Billings?
Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument is 65 miles east of Billings via I-90 (about 1 hour). Take I-90 east to Exit 510 at Crow Agency, MT. Licensed battlefield guides are available at the visitor center and are strongly recommended for the 2-3 hour in-depth tour.
What is Billings Montana known for?
Billings is known for: (1) being Montana's largest city and the regional hub of the Northern Plains/Rockies region; (2) proximity to Little Bighorn Battlefield (65 miles east); (3) the Rimrocks (sandstone cliffs above the city); (4) gateway to the Beartooth Highway (60 miles south) and Yellowstone's northeast entrance; and (5) Pictograph Cave State Park (prehistoric rock art).
When is the best time to visit Billings?
Best weather: June-September (70-85°F, low humidity, all attractions accessible). The Beartooth Highway is typically open Memorial Day through mid-October. Little Bighorn Battlefield's anniversary events are June 25-26 (battle anniversary) and June 25 weekend. Fall (September-October) has fewer crowds and great foliage. Winter offers skiing at Red Lodge Mountain (60 miles south) but the Beartooth is closed.
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