Posted in Montana December 07, 2016 by

The Christmas Lights Road Trip Through Montana That’s Nothing Short Of Magical

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in Montana, and some of our beautiful cities and towns are really going all out for the holiday season. We’ve got two full weekends before Christmas weekend is upon us, meaning you’ve got plenty of time to go on a little “holiday magic” road trip. This route takes you from Big Sky to Billings, two of our most decorated cities.

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
Google Maps
Start in Big Sky, known as Montana’s Christmas village.
Big Sky Town Center Facebook
The Big Sky Town Center hosts the annual Christmas Walk, which just happens to be December 9th this year. But even if you miss that, the Town Center and Main Street stay illuminated through New Year’s Day.
Drive all around Big Sky at dusk… you won’t want to miss a single thing.
Bigfork Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook
Dozens of local volunteer “elves” decorate the downtown area every year, and it’s beautiful.
Then drive 44 miles to Bozeman.
Downtown Bozeman
Bozeman’s annual Christmas Stroll was December 3, but the downtown area will be dazzling all month.
Montana has an annual “Get Your Lights On” contest sponsored by Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Montana Properties. Winners are given cash AND $100 is donated to their favorite charity on their behalf.
Tim Evanson / Flickr
This house was spotted on East River Rock Road. West Cameron Bridge Road also has several participants. The contest is on-going, so check out mooseradio.com for the latest updates to the map.
Spend the night at The Baxter, which converts into a winter wonderland every year.
The Baxter Facebook
The next day, head to Billings and visit ZooMontana at 6 PM.
ZooMontana Facebook
The zoo’s annual ZooLights display is in full swing, and this year it looks especially magical.
Next, make your way through some of Billings’ many neighborhood light displays, as listed here.
2016 Billings Lights List
Big Sky might be Montana’s official Christmas town, but nobody gets into the holiday spirit quite like the people of Billings.
Billings is an amazing place to be right now, so you may want to spend an extra night here.
Billings Christmas Lights Facebook
No one would blame you.

Hopefully you can fit a Christmas light road trip into your holiday schedule this year… but if not, you can always head to one of our unofficial Christmas villages.