Photo: Quintin Soloviev · CC BY 4.014% of Billings’ land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
14% of Billings’ land is conserved, about 4,285 acres. 39 miles of mapped trail cross Billings, 0.8 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Phipps Park (8.3 mi), Swords Park (1.8 mi), Lake Elmo State Park (1.6 mi).
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns · #15 of 42 in Montana. What drives it
What kind of outdoors town is Billings?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
How much outdoors does Billings have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Billings is ahead of 87% of U.S. towns, #15 of 42 in Montana. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
Among the 400 U.S. cities of 100,000 or more, Billings ranks #114 on Outdoors.
Montana towns conserve more land than most (a typical one, 10%; the U.S., 4%), so Billings’ 14% is ahead of 66% of Montana towns, while its trails per square mile lead 54% of them.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Phipps Park, with 8.3 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Lake Elmo State Park
Shiloh Conservation Area
Coulson Park
All 77 parks & preserves
4,285 conserved acres
14% of Billings’ land. Who manages Billings’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. Public access isn’t recorded for 1 of 54 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Other or Unknown Local Other or Unknown | Other or Unknown Local Government | 4,077 | Unknown |
| Lake Elmo State Park State Park | State fish & wildlife | 121 | Open |
| Swords Park Local Park | Town or city | 112 | Open |
| Stewart Park Local Park | Town or city | 55 | Open |
| Amend Park Local Park | Town or city | 51 | Open |
| Couison Park Local Park | Town or city | 49 | Open |
| High Sierra Park Local Park | Town or city | 35 | Open |
| Pioneer Park Local Park | Town or city | 33 | Open |
| Rose Park Local Park | County | 26 | Open |
| Castlerock Park Local Park | Town or city | 22 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
122 places to go in Billings
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 beach without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
1 swimming spot without a name on the map.
100 playgrounds are on OpenStreetMap in all; the list shows named ones from the first 30.
Plus 5 dog parks without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
4 boat launches without a name on the map.
2 picnic areas without a name on the map.
Plus 3 community gardens without a name on the map.
3 named trails and 4 lakes & rivers
55 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
39 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 2 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
27 more on the History page.
The best walking months in Billings: April to June and September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.0 | 10.3 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 14.9 | 15.7 | 15.4 | 14.1 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.4 | 8.7 |
| High (°F) | 36 | 41 | 51 | 59 | 69 | 79 | 89 | 87 | 76 | 61 | 47 | 37 |
| Rain (in) | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 0.6 |
January is the driest month (0.5 in) and July the warmest (highs of 89 °F). 2.4 inches fall in May, the wettest month. Summer highs reach 89 °F, too hot for the outline. The climate in Billings →
Billings and its neighbors
Billings has the most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billings | 14% | 0.8 | 14 | 97% | A |
| Lockwood | 3% | under 0.1 | 5 | 80% | C |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Billings
Where can I hike in Billings?
The longest trail networks: Phipps Park, 8.3 miles; Swords Park, 1.8 miles; Lake Elmo State Park, 1.6 miles; Shiloh Conservation Area, 1.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Billings is conserved land?
14% of its land, against a typical 10% for a Montana town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Billings’ trails?
Phipps Park and Swords Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Billings?
55 miles of bike routes are on the map: 18 of painted or protected lanes and 37 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Billings?
29,830 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Billings or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,926 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Billings have?
Ahead of 87% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 of 42 in Montana. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Billings neighbors.
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →