This community, 220 mi/355 km southwest of Billings, is the most popular entry or exit point for Yellowstone National Park. West Yellowstone offers fantastic fly-fishing, horseback riding, snowmobiling and wildlife viewing in all seasons. Rendezvous Ski Trails offers cross-country skiing on 22 mi/35 km of trails. Hiking and biking are popular on the trails during summer months. Other attractions include the Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center (live grizzly bears and wolves in a natural habitat area, along with a permanent exhibit Bears: Imagination and Reality), the Madison River Canyon Earthquake Area (spectacular scenery and visitors center at an area altered by a 1959 quake that measured 7.5 on the Richter scale) and the Playmill Theater's summer productions (be sure to try Heidi's fudge, a longtime attraction at the theater).
Wild West Yellowstone Rodeo offers exciting events ranging from bronco-riding to barrel-racing June-August. The Yellowstone Historic Center Museum, housed in the historic Union Pacific Depot building, has many displays and wildlife exhibits along with vintage Park transportation. It is surrounded by the four-block Oregon Short Line Historic District, which includes eight structures built by the Union Pacific Railroad during passenger service operation to the Park's west entrance 1908-1960. Yellowstone's IMAX Theatre offers several exciting films including Yellowstone, which highlights all aspects of the national park on the six-story screen.
West Yellowstone is not the only Montana gateway to Yellowstone National Park. The others are Gardiner/Mammoth Hot Springs and Cooke City.
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