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Rimrocks (Rimrock Drive), Billings - Things to Do at Rimrocks (Rimrock Drive)

Things to Do at Rimrocks (Rimrock Drive)

Complete Guide to Rimrocks (Rimrock Drive) in Billings

About Rimrocks (Rimrock Drive)

The Rimrocks hit you before you reach them. A 400-foot sandstone wall leaps above the Yellowstone River valley, so sudden that drivers ease off the gas without thinking. Rimrock Drive hugs the brink. One side is raw ochre and cream rock facing sky, the other side drops all of Billings at your boots like a toy set. The wind tastes of dry grass and powdered stone. These cliffs are old seafloor sediments, banded tan, rust, and cream, sliced open by the river's slow knife. Crow lore clings here. At Sacrifice Cliff warriors once rode blindfolded horses into air after smallpox took their families. Stand at the lip, feel the story press your chest. The road stays unhurried, two lanes, pullouts, lone pines. Billings undersells itself. The Rimrocks reject that modesty. They make the city interesting, not just functional.

What to See & Do

Sacrifice Cliff Overlook

The overlook at the Rims' eastern end gives Billings' most dramatic angle. The valley floor dives away. The Yellowstone glints 400 feet below. No fence in spots. The wind slaps you sideways. Crow oral history hangs heavy. People lower their voices. Afternoon light paints the sandstone amber rust. Cameras lie. Just look.

Boothill Cemetery

Boothill Cemetery snugs against the western rimrock. Outlaws, gamblers, and 1880s drifters lie under tilting stones worn smooth by Montana winters. Prairie grass waves between graves. Free entry. Twenty minutes covers it. The view back toward downtown is calm. The context is priceless.

The Sandstone Formations

Erosion has sculpted pillars, overhangs, and alcoves into the cliff face. Shadows shift all day. Some rock feels like suede. Others flake like paper stacks. Petroglyphs hide in protected pockets, proof of millennia of human eyes. View from below for scale. Drive the rim for scope.

Kelly Mountain Overlook

This named pullout faces northwest. Beartooth Mountains cut a white saw line on clear days. Billings' grid spreads below, oddly photogenic. Morning light is soft gold. Evenings go orange pink, almost too pretty. Five minutes suffices. Stay longer if the sky cooperates.

Hiking Trails Along the Rims

Trails spider along and under the Rimrocks. The Rimrock Trail system links overlooks and switchbacks down toward the valley. Pikas squeak on warm rocky slabs. Sage scent drifts uphill. Mule deer wander at dawn and dusk, calm near city noise.

Practical Information

Opening Hours

Rimrock Drive is a public road, open 24/7. Daylight makes pullouts practical. Ice and curves demand respect in winter. Drive cautious after snow.

Tickets & Pricing

No fee to drive Rimrock Drive or use its overlooks. Boothill Cemetery is free. Bring cash only if you detour into Pictograph Cave State Park.

Best Time to Visit

Early or late light wins. Summer afternoons can brew thunderstorms fast. Spring and fall glow; October turns the cliffs gold. Winter dazzles but bites. Ice edges are lethal.

Suggested Duration

A slow Rimrock loop with three or four stops takes sixty to ninety minutes. Add an hour for rim walks or Boothill. Half a day covers both plus Pictograph Cave.

Getting There

Downtown Billings to Rimrock Drive is ten minutes north. Take 6th Avenue North toward the escarpment. The road climbs, then flattens onto the plateau. No bus climbs this high. A car is mandatory. Billings Logan International Airport sits right on the Rimrocks. Land on the plateau, then drop into town. You see the cliff system before baggage claim. Instant preview.

Things to Do Nearby

Pictograph Cave State Park
Six miles southeast of the Rims, three sandstone caves hold pictographs. People painted here 10,000 years ago. Animals, weapons, human figures remain faded yet readable. The loop trail gives context. The visit teaches. Pair it with the Rimrocks. Both reveal deep human history before Billings existed.
ZooMontana
South Billings hosts a compact zoo. It favors cold-climate locals: grizzly bears, wolves, river otters. No imported exotics. Two hours covers it. Animals move in large pens. Good stop after a Rimrocks morning. Kids love it.
Yellowstone Art Museum
Downtown holds the region's sharpest art museum. Western American work dominates: Charles Russell circle, mid-century Montana painters, rotating landscape shows. A converted sandstone jail houses it. After seeing the land, see how artists read it. Extra layer.
Two Moon Park
North Billings, Two Moon Park hugs the Yellowstone River. Cottonwoods shade the trails. The air smells of water and earth. Gravel riffles hush the city. Locals walk dogs here. Named for Cheyenne chief Two Moon. City escape inside city limits.
Downtown Billings Historic District
Montana Avenue keeps brick bones from the rail boom. Warehouses, hotels, storefronts now hold bars, galleries, restaurants. Not polished. That's the charm. Railyard District buzzes hardest. Walk it after the Rimrocks. Afternoon well spent.

Tips & Advice

The cliff edge is raw. No rails. Stay back from the lip. Wind gusts. Watch kids. Leash dogs.
Sacrifice Cliff at sunrise lights the Yellowstone valley. Set the alarm. Bring coffee. Worth it.
Steep sections ice over in winter. Locals drive slow. Rental cars may slip November through March. Check tires.
Airport runways sit on the plateau. Planes skim the cliff edge on approach. Time a viewpoint visit. Close-up aircraft shots. Unexpected angle.

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