Planning a Trip

Getting There

SkyWest/Delta (tel. 800/221-1212), Alaskan/Horizon (tel. 800/252-7522), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525), and Big Sky (tel. 800/237-7788) provide commuter links to larger airports in Montana and other Western states from Helena Regional Airport (tel. 406/442-2821; www.helenaairport.com), northeast of the city on Skyway Drive off U.S. 15.

The bus depot is located at 3100 U.S. 12 E. (tel. 406/442-5860), with service on Rimrock Stages, a Trailways affiliate (tel. 800/255-7655; www.rimrocktrailways.com) that links with Greyhound.

Driving from the east or west, take I-90; turn north on I-15 and head toward Helena. From the north or south, I-15 leads right into town.

Visitor Information

A good starting point for local activities and area maps is the Helena Convention and Visitor's Bureau at 225 Cruse Ave., Suite A, Helena, MT 59601 (tel. 800/743-5352 or 406/447-1530; fax 406/447-1532; www.helenacvb.visitmt.com). There is an information office run by the chamber out near the airport at Cedar Street off I-15. Another source is Gold West Country (a branch of Travel Montana, the mother lode for brochures and information about the region and the state), 1105 Main St., Deer Lodge, MT 59722 (tel. 800/VISIT-MT or 406/846-1943; www.goldwest.visitmt.com).

Getting Around

Car-rental agencies at the airport include Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 or 406/442-4440), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 or 406/449-4167), and National (tel. 800/227-7368 or 406/442-8620). Enterprise (tel. 800/261-7331 or 406/449-3400) is in town at 1521 N. Montana Ave.

Getting Outside

Just beyond the city limits, the area is chock-full of recreational opportunities, with blue-ribbon trout streams, downhill ski areas, and millions of acres of public land.