Where Adventure Is Always Just Outside Your Door
Montana is an outdoor paradise, but some towns are better positioned than others. We scored every Montana community based on the variety, quality, and proximity of nearby recreation: from national parks and wilderness areas to trailheads, rivers, ski resorts, and hot springs. These are the towns where the outdoors isn't just nearby, it's your backyard.
Recreation Score (0–10) computed from four factors: category diversity (how many types of recreation are nearby), total volume of sites within 30 miles, quality weighting (national parks and wilderness count more than viewpoints), and proximity of the nearest notable attraction. Data sourced from OpenStreetMap and editorial research. All recreation counts use a 30-mile radius from each town.
Data last collected: Zillow Research (Jan 2026), U.S. Census ACS (Jan 2026), FBI UCR (Mar 2026), Montana OPI/NCES (Jan 2026), Montana DPHHS (Mar 2026), EPA NPL (Jan 2026). Rankings are updated when data is refreshed. Check individual town profiles for details.