Bozeman

Bozeman is a city in Montana's Yellowstone Country. Set in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, this college town is a place for experiencing the great outdoors around the year, and for those days the weather makes you want to stay indoors there are a number of museums and galleries to explore.

Understand
Bozeman is a picturesque city in Gallatin County, Montana. It is the largest city in Gallatin County and is the county seat. Bozeman residents are known as Bozemanites.

With a population of 56,000 in 2022, Bozeman is the fourth largest city in the state. The city is named after John M. Bozeman, founder of the Bozeman Trail.

Bozeman is home to Montana State University. The population of the city nearly doubles during school semesters. Lodging may be difficult to find at the beginning of the school year, graduation and any time the Bobcats have a home football game.

Bozeman sees a steady stream of visitors for its outdoor activities—not just hiking, kayaking, and mountain climbing, but also winter sports like skiing and snowboarding, popular among locals and students as well as travellers. In fact, Bozeman once expressed interest in hosting the 2026 Winter Olympics.

One of the inspirations and main themes for the writing of the 1974 best-selling book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance was a road trip by motorcycle, from Minneapolis to San Francisco with a stopover at Bozeman, described with considerable detail by the author Robert Maynard Pirsig with his son Chris.


 * Bozeman District forest service office: 3710 Fallon St., Suite C, +1 406 522-2520

Climate
Bozeman is one of the wettest cities in Montana, averaging of precipitation annually. Mild springs and falls are punctuated by cold, snowy winters and relatively warm summers.

Geography
Bozeman is in south central Montana at an elevation of. It is an Intermountain Grassland habitat, bordered closely by Montane Forest habitat. Bozeman is bordered on three sides by mountain ranges (Bridger, Gallatin, and Tobacco Root) making up the northern Rockies. To the south, you'll find Yellowstone National Park as well as Gallatin National Forest.

Bozeman's geographical location combined with its climate make for a lush, agriculturally rich and diverse location. Its close proximity to the mountains and forest lands creates a plethora of outdoor activities year-round.

By plane
is in Belgrade northwest of Bozeman and is accessed via Airway Blvd from I-90 or Frontage Rd (which runs parallel to I-90). This airport is the nearest commercial airport for year round commercial air service to two Yellowstone National Park entrances, Bridger Bowl Ski Area, Big Sky Ski Resort, Montana State University, and countless other recreational sites and business destinations in and around Bozemen, Belgrade, and Livingston, MT. The following airlines offer year round service from: The following airlines come seasonally or part of the year:
 * Alaska Airlines (Portland, Seattle)
 * Allegiant (Las Vegas and Phoenix/Mesa)
 * American/American Eagle (Dallas-Ft Worth year-round and Chicago O'Hare seasonally)
 * Delta/Delta Connection (Atlanta, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St Paul and Seattle); Seasonally from New York La Guardia
 * United/United Express (Denver, Houston Bush Intercontinental, Newark and San Francisco); Seasonally from Chicago O'Hare
 * Frontier (Denver)
 * JetSuiteX (San Jose)

There are taxis, rideshare and hotel shuttles to bring you into town locally and long shuttles and buses for onward transport to Yellowstone, West Yellowstone, Big Sky and/or other places in and around southwestern Montana. There are also car rental available from the airport.

The airport terminal has a small variety of dining and shopping locations. Before security, there is a small bistro and coffee shop located between the escalators. After security, there are two full service restaurants and one quick serve Tex Mex place called Taco Jet. The shops offer travel amenities like neck pillows, head phones, chargers, etc., snacks, drinks, and an assortment of Montana gifts. Most locations open at 5 AM and close at varying times depending on flight schedules.

By car
There are three exits from Interstate 90 (I-90), the N. 19th exit (Exit #305), the N. 7th exit (Exit #306), and E. Main/Frontage Rd (Exit #309). The N. 19th exit, an endless expanse of chain stores and strip development, is furthest from downtown. The N. 7th exit is closer to downtown and has a wider selection of restaurants and hotels, but, though better than 19th St, still is not a pedestrian-friendly area. Many independent motels lie on E. Main St. within walking distance of downtown, which features a wide array of shopping and dining (almost entirely local independent businesses).

Bozeman is east of Butte, Montana via I-90,  west of Billings, Montana. Yellowstone National Park is approximately south via US Hwy 89, or US Hwy 191. US Hwy 191 passes through downtown (east-west) as Main St.

By bus
The south parking lot of, at 1500 N 7th St serves as a de facto bus station for the local Stream Line "Blue Line" bus and the following companies: The bus stops are located outside the south Outdoor Living (Home Garden) doors of the Walmart Superstore.

Get around

 * Classic Limo (406) 585-5466, has shuttles to Bozeman, Big Sky, West Yellowstone, Chico, Mammoth and Livingston.

Museums




Do

 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.
 * The annual Sweet Pea Festival is usually held the first weekend of August. Activities include music, dance, theater, comedy, food, and art exhibitions. The festival always starts with a parade on the Friday before. Festival regulars include Shakespeare in the Parks, children's woodworking, Verge Theatre, and the Bozeman Chord Rustlers' tater pigs.

Drink
The "Barmuda Triangle" consisted of three dive bars arranged around a back lot between Main Street and Babcock at 8th Ave. The Scoop faced Main Street and must have been one of the oldest bars in town with a few pool tables, a few slot machines and TVs for the game. Now there's just  The Haufbrau, equally as old - if not older - offering a small stage for locals and even a few out-of-towners to dish out their songcraft with anything from saws to buckets to fiddles or guitars. Great, friendly crowd unless you arrive before the local rednecks get sloshed. And The Molly Brown, the biggest of these three, with a pool hall, poker tables and a couple rows of slot machines. Montana being one of those rare states that allows machine gambling, you might as well try your hand while passing through. A quick fifteen bucks would not be unheard of, but a vanished fifty is far more likely. All three of these bars are of eclectic crowd; college students, Montana hippies, construction workers, out-of-work ranchers, divorcees, and that one guy who operates under the illusion that cowboys still exist.



Sleep




Go next

 * Big Sky — a nearby ranch turned resort with mountain activities like skiing and snowboarding.
 * Yellowstone National Park — the world's first national park, full of incredible wildlife, famous geysers, and natural beauty.