Getting There

By Plane

Travelers flying into Montana can choose to land in one of the state's six major airports: Billings, Bozeman, Great Falls, Helena, Kalispell, or Missoula. Air service to these airports is provided by the following airlines: Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com), Frontier (tel. 800/432-1359; www.flyfrontier.com), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), and United (tel. 800/241-6522; www.ual.com). Delta and United's commuter affiliate is SkyWest (tel. 800/453-9417; www.skywest.com), and Northwest's is Horizon (tel. 800/547-9308; www.horizonair.com). The busiest of the smaller connection airlines is Big Sky (tel. 800/237-7788; www.bigskyair.com).

In Wyoming, Jackson, Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Gillette, Laramie, Riverton, Rock Springs, and Sheridan have airports with commercial intrastate airline service. Presently, the airlines serving the state are Delta (tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com) and United (tel. 800/241-6522; www.ual.com), with service to Jackson by American Airlines (tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com), Northwest (tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com), and Big Sky Airlines (tel. 800/237-7788; www.bigskyair.com). Commuter carriers in Wyoming include SkyWest (tel. 800/453-9417; www.skywest.com) and Great Lakes Aviation (tel. 800/554-5111; www.greatlakesav.com).

Montana and Wyoming's airports are dwarfed by Denver International Airport in Colorado and Salt Lake City International Airport in Utah. However, connecting flights are available from Denver and Salt Lake to almost all of the regional airports in Montana and Wyoming, and -- if you have time -- renting a car in one of these larger cities can make for a nice scenic drive to your final destination.

By Car

In Montana, I-90 runs west to east from St. Regis to Wyola, near the Wyoming border southeast of Billings. I-94 goes east from Billings to Glendive and the North Dakota border. U.S. Highway 2, called the "Hi-Line," is another east-west alternative, stretching across the northern reaches of Montana from Bainville to Troy. The major interstate traversing the state from north to south is I-15, from Sweetgrass to Monida.

Wyoming is crossed through the southern part of the state by I-80, a huge trucker route from Pine Bluffs in the east to Evanston in the west. I-90 begins in the north-central part of the state near Ranchester and comes out in the northeast near Beulah. Just outside Buffalo is I-90's junction with I-25, a north-south route that runs through Cheyenne. The western part of the state north of Rock Springs is dominated by U.S. highways and secondary state-maintained roads.

By Train

Amtrak's Empire Builder (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) provides daily rail service along the northern tier of Montana, traveling west from Chicago and east from Seattle. The train stops at Wolf Point, Glasgow, Malta, Havre, Shelby, Cut Bank, Browning, East Glacier, Essex, West Glacier, Whitefish, and Libby.