Big Sky Backcountry Byway

The Big Sky Backcountry Byway, also referred to as The Big Dry and Forgotten Montana, is an enjoyable day drive in Eastern Montana. The drive is about 158-miles from Terry to Fort Peck, Montana.

This drive is scenic in a unique way. You won't be stunned by massive mountains, sparkling bodies of water, or lush forests like most of Montana offers. This is a memorable experience full of amber hillsides, tall-grass prairie land, and desert-like badlands.

The great bison last stormed across Montana in this area before being over-hunted and brought nearly to extinction. In an attempt to bring back the population of American Bison to the site, a large amount of the Great Plains are now a wildlife preserve where the remaining bison can be seen.

The drive begins in Terry on the Yellowstone River and heads north to Wolf Point on the Missouri River. There are only two towns between the southernmost and northernmost points of the drive, Circle and Brockway, Montana. The two towns are historic, charming cattle towns. This is rugged country where sheep and cattle outnumber people.

There is beauty here, it's just stark and subtle. The land is flat, so the fiery sunsets look as if they never end, and the night sky is clear and full of seemingly low-hanging stars. The drive features unique rock hounds, sandstone hoodoos, and prairie potholes.

The drive offers opportunities for hiking and camping in badlands and a scenic detour to the Terry Badlands Overlook.

This drive highlights the robust rodeo roots and the American farming tradition of eastern Montana. It will bring out a real frontier spirit in you, as you explore the long-lost history of the area.

There are camping opportunities on the drive if you want to extend your adventure. You can camp at the Downstream Campground and West End Campground at the Fort Peck Reservoir.