Checking Out Big Timber Montana

After our recent adventures camping near Red Lodge, hiking to Mystic Lake and longboarding Beartooth Highway we continued west through Montana. Next stop was Big Timber, Montana – a small town that the Boulder River runs through and is just south of the Crazy Mountains. We didn’t know what to expect or what there was to do in Big Timber but we ended up having a nice experience in this charming town! The large city park gave us an opportunity to play and jump around.

What to Do in Big Timber Montana

We weren’t sure what there was to do in Big Timber until we got here. The town itself is very small and quaint. And the surrounding scenery is very pretty while the recreation opportunities abound. During our time in Big Timber we took it slow, discovering things to do here and there. Big Timber has a great community park with a new basketball court, tennis courts, baseball fields, a playground, pool and picnic shelters. During the summer there is a great community farmer’s market held at the park too! The town also has a nice thrift store, independent taverns and numerous fishing spots. 

While in town, we stayed at a place called River Rocks Camp located at the east end of town on the Boulder River. There are multiple cabins available to rent, a fire ring, river access and a community bathroom with a shower.

The owner is extremely friendly and so is her tennis ball loving pup.

For more information about River Rocks Camp check out the website RiverRocksCamp.com or https://www.hipcamp.com/montana/river-rocks-camp/river-rocks-camp-cabins  

Longboarding in Big Timber Montana

While checking out things to do in Big Timber we hopped on the longboards. There were a few good smooth streets and a lot of rough bumpy ones. At times it was easy to transition from the rough roads to a smooth sidewalk. The biggest hill in town is on Airport Road. This is a relatively long steep hill descending from the towns small airport. The hill is located just outside the park off of Mclead Road on your way out of town.

The hill is not extremely steep but it is a longer run which allows for you to build up a good amount of speed, 30+ mph if you’re trying to. The pavement can be rough at times and there is some gravel near the shoulders. The hill starts at the fenced airport entrance at the top and ends at a T with the highway, which can bring you to a sudden stop if there’s traffic. But, because of the size of the town there wasn’t much traffic to worry about. 

Hiking to Natural Bridge

After longboarding, you can follow the same road that Airport Road T’s with, Mclead Road, about 25 miles through the countryside following Boulder River south towards the mountains. Here, the boundary into the National Forest begins and we stopped at Natural Bridge Picnic Area. There is a paved walkway from the parking lot to a wooden bridge over the beautiful clear Boulder River. The paved path the other direction passes picnic tables and leads you to several overlooks and informational signs.

From the overlook, you can see a unique geological formation in which Boulder River drops underground creating a natural tunnel. The water flows through the tunnel when the water is low but when the water is high it flows through the tunnel and over the natural bridge creating a large waterfall. We were here in late summer so the water was low. 

Big Timber Montana Farmer’s Market

Another first time experience for us while in Big Timber Montana was being part of the local Farmers Market! The Big Timber Sweet Grass County Farmers Market is on Fridays from 4:30 to 7:30 pm during the summer (July-September) at the Lions Community Park. The Farmers Market was local and friendly. It had delicious jams, baked goods, produce, a food truck, bounce house, music, fresh fish, corn hole boards and other handcrafted goods.

It was fun having the opportunity to introduce our Lost Coast Longboarding products to the Big Timber community. One of our favorite booths was the informational Bear Awareness Booth. The booth provided information on bear encounters and how to handle them. They also had bear spray training canisters that the public could spray to familiarize themselves with how it works and what to expect if you need to use it. 

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Nearby Adventures in the Crazy Mountains

You can’t run out of things to do in the Big Timber area with all of the surrounding wilderness to explore! Another place to adventure near Big Timber Montana is the Crazy Mountains range. Although we weren’t in the area for very long we made the scenic drive into the Crazy Mountains to the Half Moon Campground and Day Use Area. From here there is a trail that leads into Big Timber Canyon. There are a number of hikes along Big Timber Creek to lakes and beautiful waterfalls.

We would love to come back and explore the dramatically beautiful Crazy Mountains more thoroughly!

Thank You For Reading!

Big Timber Montana was a really nice small town and made for a great experience. Thank you to our new friend Lois for making us feel welcome!

We love having the opportunities to get out and explore unfamiliar places! Check out the articles below for more of these experiences:

• Things to Do in Nebraska
• A Guide to Joshua Tree
• Longboarding at Rio Grande
• Best Hikes in Badlands National Park

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