What makes the Beartooth Highway so exciting is that while it’s paved, it is very wild—surrounded by the Custer, Shoshone and Gallatin National Forests. Drive it at night and you’ll only have the stars to navigate by—no bright city lights here.

Ancient brush strokes on cave walls near Billings, glorious rustic lodges in Glacier National Park, and the log homestead of a venerable Crow chief are among several dozen extraordinary places that help define and interpret Montana’s past. East to west and in between, Montana’s irreplaceable National Historic Landmarks (NHLs) enhance the western experience.