Big Sky Back Country Byway | Montana

Spanning 105 miles from Terry to Wolf Point, Montana, Big Sky Back Country Byway winds through the expansive badlands and rolling prairies of eastern Montana, connecting the Yellowstone and Missouri River. This all-weather byway offers many scenic views and invites travelers to explore layers of natural, cultural, and historical significance. Along the route, visitors pass through three vibrant communities, Terry, Circle, and Wolf Point; all which have historical attractions. Designated in 2000, this BCB exemplifies multiple intrinsic values, scenic, educational, cultural, historic, and scientific, without compromising any of them. The Big Sky BCB continues to serve as both a transportation corridor and a storytelling landscape for eastern Montana. 

Byway Details

Big Sky Back Country Byway offers a rare north-south route through a state whose transportation network has long run predominantly east-west. Stretching 105 miles across eastern Montana, the byway retraces a portion of the historic RY-Trail, a century-old travel corridor that once connected Regina, Saskatchewan with Yellowstone National Park. Developed in conjunction with the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, the route links the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers, giving travelers a chance to follow in the footsteps of the Corps of Discovery while experiencing the open landscapes of rural eastern Montana.

Along the way, the byway reveals layers of history and natural resources unique to the region. In its northern reaches, travelers can witness the remnants of homesteading on the open grasslands, the displacement of the buffalo, and the lasting effects of the Dust Bowl era, while the southern stretch passes near Lewis and Clark monuments. Each community along the route shares its own local history and land-use stories, offering visitors an authentic window into the people and places that shaped this part of Montana. The byway also passes near a wilderness study area, numerous fishing reservoirs, expanses of federal land, a world-class paleontology zone, and sites known for moss agate collecting, along with quality big game habitat and a rich history connected to the region's First Nations peoples.

More than a scenic drive, the Big Sky Back Country Byway invites travelers to slow down and discover the magic of the prairie ecosystem. From wildlife viewing to rockhounding to tracing century-old travel routes, the byway offers a genuine sense of discovery while supporting tourism in the small eastern Montana communities along its path.

Attractions & Features

• Museums in each town
  • Terry: Prairie County Museum & Evelyn Cameron Gallery
  • Circle: McCone County Museum
  • Wolf Point: Wolf Point Area Museum
• Shady, well-equipped parks found in all three towns: playgrounds, swimming pools, picnic areas, and historical features
• Access to public lands: hiking, camping, hunting, and stargazing
• Terry Badlands Wilderness Study Area: offers scenic overlooks and unpaved trail access
• Wildlife viewing: various prairie animals 
• Accessibility to state highways: paved portion from Terry to Brockway