Description: The Physical map of Montana State, USA showing major geographical features such as rivers, lakes, topography and land formations.
A physical map of Montana explains why the state feels like two lands in one. The Rocky Mountains dominate the west with rugged ranges, deep valleys, and high passes along the Continental Divide. The Great Plains sweep across the center and east with rolling prairie, coulees, and badlands carved by big prairie rivers.
A detailed map that shows peaks, valleys, rivers, and lakes alongside cities, highways, and rail lines helps students, travelers, and residents plan routes, choose scenic areas, and understand weather, wildlife, and land use. This guide shows how to read each feature that appears on the map and link it to real places on the ground.
Nickname: Big Sky Country.
Highest point: Granite Peak at 12,799 feet in the Beartooth Range.
Key ranges shown: Bitterroot, Cabinet, Mission, Swan, Flathead, Anaconda–Pintler, Pioneer, Bridger, Gallatin, Absaroka, Crazy, Big Belt, Little Belt, Judith, Bearpaw, Little Rocky, Big Sheep.
Major rivers: Missouri, Yellowstone, Clark Fork, Kootenai, Bitterroot, Flathead, Milk, Marias, Sun, Smith, Musselshell, Bighorn, Tongue, Powder.
Largest lakes visible: Flathead Lake (natural), Fort Peck Lake (reservoir), Canyon Ferry, Lake Elwell, Bighorn Lake, Lake Koocanusa, Georgetown Lake, Hebgen, and Quake Lake.
Climate sketch: Long winters in the high country, hot and dry summers in the east, wetter forests in the far northwest.
Best seasons: June for snow-fed rivers and wildflowers, September for golden larch and huckleberry slopes, October for calm high-pressure days on the plains.
Map safety notes: Distances are large; towns can be far apart. Carry water, fuel, and paper maps for back roads. Check fire and flood updates for canyon travel.
Borders: Canada to the north, North Dakota and South Dakota to the eastern flank, Wyoming to the south, and Idaho to the western flank.
Regions visible on the map: Northern Rockies in the west and southwest; island mountain ranges in the central plains; high, dry plains with badlands in the east.
Anchor cities on the map: Helena (capital), Missoula, Butte, Bozeman, Great Falls, Kalispell region, Billings, Livingston, Lewistown, Miles City, Glendive, Sidney, Havre, Cut Bank, Glasgow, Wolf Point, Hardin, Dillon, Anaconda, and Hamilton.
Signature waters: Missouri River, Yellowstone River, Clark Fork, Kootenai, Flathead River, Bitterroot, Milk River, Marias, Sun, Smith, Musselshell, Tongue, and Powder.
Major lakes: Flathead Lake, Fort Peck Lake on the Missouri, Canyon Ferry Lake near Helena, Lake Elwell (Tiber Reservoir) on the Marias, Hebgen and Quake Lake west of West Yellowstone, Georgetown Lake near Anaconda, Bighorn Lake near the Wyoming line, and Lake Koocanusa in the far northwest.
In the far northwest, the map shows tightly packed brown relief lines and short, fast streams that drain the Flathead Range, Mission Range, Swan Range, and Salish Mountains. North of Kalispell, the uplands stair-step toward the Canadian border. The Flathead River system and Flathead Lake stand out in blue. Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western United States outside Alaska; you can see its broad oval south of Kalispell and Polson. The shore roads trace gentle benches at the foot of steep mountain walls.
West of Libby and Troy, the Cabinet Mountains rise along the Idaho line. The Kootenai River cuts an obvious trench from Canada to Idaho, with Lake Koocanusa pooling behind Libby Dam; the map shows a long, narrow reservoir that nearly touches the border. This section is wet and forested, and the river gorge explains why roads stay close to the valley floor.
Between Choteau, Augusta, and Great Falls, the mountains end abruptly. The map makes this sharp edge obvious. Limestone ridges drop to open prairie, a meeting of regions known as the Rocky Mountain Front. The Sun River, Smith River, Teton River, and Marias River drain east from high headwaters to the Missouri. Wind, chinooks, and wildlife migrations follow this corridor.
Southwest Montana is a maze of high ranges and long intermontane valleys. The Continental Divide runs from the Bitterroot Range near Lost Trail Pass, past Anaconda, Butte, and Helena, toward Boulder and Rogers Pass. On the map, the Divide often sits on a narrow spine between streams that flow in opposite directions. To the west, the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers head toward Idaho; to the east, the Missouri and Jefferson systems run toward the Plains. Towns such as Deer Lodge, Anaconda, and Helena lie on protected benches close to water and timber, which the shaded relief and blue river lines make easy to spot.
The Pioneer Mountains west of Dillon, the Boulder Mountains near Helena, and the Sapphire and Bitterroot ranges near Hamilton form a set of rugged blocks separated by broad valleys such as the Bitterroot Valley and the Big Hole. The map shows wide valley floors colored lightly with braided streams, then quick jumps to rough brown slopes. That pattern indicates the presence of long views, sunlit ranchlands, and rapid changes in weather with elevation.
East of Bozeman, the Bridger Range runs north–south as a sharp wall. South and southeast, the Gallatin and Absaroka ranges create a bright cluster of high country that funnels toward Yellowstone National Park just beyond the border. This is why towns like Livingston are windy and dramatic; the map shows the Yellowstone River slicing a gap between high ridges.
The Crazy Mountains form a solitary island of peaks northeast of Livingston and west of Harlowton, easily seen as a compact knot of rugged shading. To the northwest, the Big Belt Mountains arc between Helena and White Sulphur Springs, while the Little Belt Mountains sit between Great Falls and Lewistown. The belts funnel streams like the Smith River, a famous float, and provide timbered, snow-catching highlands that feed the Missouri tributaries.
Near Lewistown, the Judith Mountains pop up as another island range. Farther north by Havre, the Bearpaw Mountains rise from the plains, and to the east, the Little Rocky Mountains perch south of Fort Peck Lake. These small highlands create local weather, springs, and wildlife pockets, which are clearly indicated by the darker relief blotches on the map.
The Yellowstone River flows northeast from the high country near Gardiner and Livingston, past Big Timber, Billings, Forsyth, Miles City, Glendive, and Sidney. On the map, the Yellowstone’s long blue curve ties the entire south and east together. Side valleys such as the Stillwater, Bighorn, Tongue, and Powder feed it. Bighorn Lake and Bighorn Canyon cut a dramatic trench on the Wyoming border near Fort Smith and Hardin. The steady gradient and broad floodplain are responsible for the development of cottonwood bottoms, agriculture, and historic trails.
From Three Forks west of Bozeman, the Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin join to form the Missouri River. It heads north to Great Falls, where the map shows a chain of falls and dams, then turns east through sagebrush country to the giant blue arm of Fort Peck Lake near Glasgow. The reservoir’s fingers fill long side valleys such as the Milk River trench. Beyond the dam, the river leaves the badlands of the Missouri Breaks, a maze that the map hints at with tight, eroded contours and tributary gullies.
Names like Big Sheep Mountains, Big Muddy Creek, Burnt Lodge, and O’Fallon Creek on the map signal dry uplands and gumbo breaks. Shaded coulees drain toward the Yellowstone and Missouri, carving sculpted badlands around Miles City, Glendive, and Jordan. The wide spacing between contour colors tells you the land rolls rather than leaps, which is why highways run straight and horizon lines feel far away.
The map shows clusters of alpine lakes in the Mission, Swan, Bitterroot, Pioneer, and Beartooth areas. Georgetown Lake sits between Anaconda and Philipsburg. Hebgen Lake and Quake Lake lie along the Madison near the park boundary. These waters are cold, clear, and set in steep cirques; the tight relief around them on the map means sudden elevation gain and rewarding, but steep, hikes.
In central and northern Montana, the most notable lakes are artificial reservoirs that store spring runoff for use during the late season. Canyon Ferry Lake east of Helena, Lake Elwell north of Great Falls on the Marias, Fort Peck Lake on the Missouri, and Bighorn Lake near Hardin are key examples. The long, branching shapes show drowned valleys and make it easy to pick sheltered coves on a windy day.
Pacific vs. Atlantic drainages: West of the Continental Divide, the Clark Fork, Bitterroot, and Kootenai rivers flow into the Columbia River, which in turn flows into the Pacific Ocean. East of the Divide, all rivers go to the Missouri–Mississippi and finally the Gulf of Mexico.
Three Forks: The Jefferson, Madison, and Gallatin join near Three Forks to form the Missouri. This triple confluence is a centerpiece for students studying watersheds.
Milk River loop: The Milk River is unique. It rises in the U.S., flows into Canada, then returns to Montana to join the Missouri. On the map, it tracks east near the border from Havre to Glasgow.
Floodplains and terraces: Wide pale belts around the Yellowstone and Missouri signal fertile floodplain soils and historic meanders. Towns such as Billings, Miles City, and Glendive sit on higher terraces just beyond those belts.
Rocky Mountain Front Drive: From Great Falls to Choteau and Augusta. The map’s sharp mountain edge and open prairie promise big skies, elk ranges, and changing weather.
Gallatin–Paradise Corridor: Bozeman to Livingston through the Gallatin and Yellowstone valleys. Rivers run blue and fast where relief tightens; look for rafting icons and trailheads around canyon narrows.
Flathead Lake Loop: Circle the lake between Polson and Kalispell. The shoreline shown on the map has benches for orchards and viewpoints, with mountains dropping straight to the water.
Missouri Breaks Backward: From Fort Benton toward Judith Landing and Winifred. The eroded gullies and river bends marked on the map explain why the road zigzags.
Bighorn Canyon Rim: Hardin to Fort Smith and along Bighorn Lake. The narrow blue reach tells you a deep gorge; expect overlooks and steep side ravines.
Float the Smith River between the Little Belt and Big Belt mountains. Its curving line between rock walls is easy to trace from White Sulphur Springs to the Missouri. Permit season follows snowmelt timing, which you can infer from mountain shading.
Paddle the Clearwater chain between Seeley Lake and Salmon Lake. Closely spaced blue lakes in a forested valley signal calm, flatwater conditions.
Fish the Madison, Gallatin, and Jefferson near Ennis, Big Sky, and Twin Bridges. Multiple access points appear where roads hug the river in the tight valleys.
Backpack the Beartooth Plateau east of Cooke City. The map shows a big, high block with many small lakes. That pattern means tundra, wind, and expansive views.
Mountain shading in the west is dense and complex; plains shading in the east is broad and light. That contrast demonstrates how slope influences runoff, erosion, and land use. Forest and wilderness dominate steep zones; grazing and dryland farming fill open basins and benches.
Follow the Bitterroot Range and Continental Divide on the map. West-facing slopes that face Pacific storms are wetter. East slopes lie in a rain shadow, which is why the Helena and Great Falls valleys look drier and the prairie rivers braid through sagebrush steppe.
Rail and interstate lines take the valley floors. I-90 runs from Missoula through Butte, Bozeman, and Billings because the map’s relief funnels the easiest corridor that way.
Cities sit at river junctions or valley mouths. Significant Falls leverages the falls on the Missouri for power. Billings occupies an expansive terrace above the Yellowstone. Helena nestles at the mouth of the Prickly Pear Valley near Canyon Ferry Lake.
Mining and timber towns follow rock and forest belts. Butte and Anaconda lie in mineralized highlands; Libby, Thompson Falls, and Hamilton grew along timbered valleys.
Missoula lies where the Bitterroot River meets the Clark Fork. The map shows several valleys converging, which explains a lively hub with easy access to canyons in all directions.
The capital, Helena, sits between the Big Belt and Elkhorn blocks on the Prickly Pear Creek. Canyon Ferry Lake, just to the east, spreads wide on the Missouri. That reservoir stabilizes flows past town and creates recreation beaches and ice fishing flats visible as broad blue water on the map.
Bozeman sits on a high, fertile floor between the Bridger and Gallatin ranges. Livingston, just down the Yellowstone, marks a gap where mountain winds jet onto the plains. The narrow valley symbol on the map warns you of channelized winds that bikers and RV drivers feel.
Billings occupies a terrace bounded by the Rimrocks sandstone cliffs. The map’s flat valley floor and steep walls explain the city’s skyline views and recreation around Pictograph Cave and the Four Dances area.
At Great Falls, the Missouri drops in a sequence of falls now backed by dams. The tight, stepped river pattern on the map is perfect for power generation and museum stops along the Lewis and Clark Trail.
Along U.S. 2, the Milk River valley cuts a long, gentle swale through Havre, Malta, Glasgow, and Wolf Point. The map’s light colors and thin blue line show a classic Hi-Line landscape of shelterbelts, coulees, and broad horizons.
Use the scale in the legend to measure straight-line distance, then add time for mountain passes where relief darkens. A line from Missoula to Bozeman looks short, but the Continental Divide and canyon curves make the drive longer than a prairie route of the same length.
Where mountain valleys open to plains, such as the Rocky Mountain Front and the Yellowstone gap, expect elk, deer, and pronghorn movement. On the map, those are the places where tight shading relaxes suddenly and several streams braid into one valley floor.
The vast, unobstructed plains east of Billings and Miles City catch strong westerlies and fast-moving summer storms. The map’s lack of tall terrain is its own weather warning for tent campers and paddlers.
At Three Forks in southwest Montana where the Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson rivers join to form the Missouri.
The Beartooth Mountains near the Wyoming line, where Granite Peak is the state high point.
In the far north near the Canadian border; the Divide cuts through the park along its high limestone peaks and passes.
Flathead Lake in the northwest, south of Kalispell and west of Glacier National Park.
In the central north around the Upper Missouri River Breaks, east of Great Falls toward Fort Peck Reservoir.
The Yellowstone River and its tributaries, including the Clarks Fork, Bighorn, Stillwater and Pryor creeks in the south central area.
South of Missoula along the Idaho border; the Bitterroot Valley lies between the Bitterroot Range and the Sapphire Mountains near Hamilton and Stevensville.
Trace the main crest from Glacier south past Helena and Butte toward West Yellowstone; it separates Pacific and Atlantic drainage basins on the map’s highest spine.
Great Falls, shown where the Missouri steps from the Rocky Mountain Front onto the central plains with a chain of dams and falls sites nearby.
Along the east face of the Rockies from Browning and East Glacier down past Choteau and Augusta, where steep limestone cliffs meet open prairie.
The Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson, converging near Three Forks west of Bozeman in the Gallatin Valley region.
It flows east across Billings, Miles City and Glendive, then leaves the state into North Dakota near the far southeast corner to meet the Missouri there.
Fort Peck Lake on the Missouri River, stretching west to east with long arms and surrounding breaks near Glasgow and Jordan.
The Crazy Mountains rise as an isolated block north of Livingston; the Bridger Range sits just northeast of Bozeman forming a sharp ridge line on the map.
The Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone valleys hold Bozeman, Ennis and Livingston, with the Bighorn and Clark’s Fork valleys farther east near Hardin and Red Lodge.
In the far northwest along the Idaho line near Libby and Troy, marking rugged forested country drained by the Kootenai River system.
Follow U.S. Highway 2 paralleling the Canadian border through towns like Havre, Malta and Wolf Point across open prairie and glacial plains.
The Clark Fork River, meeting the Bitterroot at Missoula and continuing northwest toward the Cabinet country and Idaho border lakes chain.
In the southwest near Wisdom and Dillon, where high basins and the Beaverhead, Big Hole and Ruby rivers form the Jefferson headwaters network.
The Beartooth-Absaroka complex along the Wyoming line east of Yellowstone, including the Beartooth Plateau and Absaroka peaks above Red Lodge and Cooke City.
Across the central and eastern third of the state from Lewistown through Havre and Glasgow to Miles City, shown by smoother relief and broad river bottoms.
The Yellowstone River, flowing south of Livingston through the Paradise Valley toward Gardiner at the park’s north entrance.
In the south east near Hardin and Crow Agency along the Little Bighorn River, draining north to the Bighorn and Yellowstone systems.
Look where highways cross the shaded ridge crests such as Lookout, Homestake and Bozeman passes; tight relief and labeled summits mark higher crossings on the Divide and major ranges.
Yellowtail Lake behind Bighorn Canyon Dam lies to the south; farther east the Tongue and Powder river valleys join the Yellowstone near Miles City and Terry as shown by wide bottoms.
East and northeast of Helena around White Sulphur Springs and Monarch; the Big Belts arc north of Townsend, while the Little Belts lie farther east toward the Judith Basin country.
Wide pale corridors with oxbows and sandbars along the Missouri, Yellowstone, Milk and Sun rivers indicate low, flood-prone ground on this map style.
Along the Hi-Line north of the Missouri Breaks, the Milk flows east through Havre, Malta and Glasgow to join Fort Peck Lake on the Missouri system.
No. Printing or copying maps from the site is not permitted.
Scan the Continental Divide and major ranges for tight shading to find steep grades, then follow broad river valleys like the Missouri, Yellowstone and Clark Fork for lower, straighter travel corridors.
Counties and Road Map of Montana
Counties and Road map and map image of Montana.
Regional Directory of Canada
Information and guide about Canada and website listing.
Regional Directory of United States of America
Information and guide about United States of America and websites with American topics.
Regional Directory of Europe
Information and guide about Europe and websites with European topics.
Regional Directory of Australia
Information and guide about Australia and websites with Australian topics.
