One of 50 Affordable Stateside Escapes

by Smarter Travel

The cowboy spirit is alive and kicking in Sheridan, a small frontier town at the foot of the majestic Big Horn Mountains.  Rodeos and concerts run throughout the year, and annual events like Buffalo Bill Days and the Sheridan County Fair celebrate the independent frontier spirit that turned Sheridan into the #1 Western Town in America.

A two-hour drive southeast of Billings, Montana, is Sheridan's historic downtown.  Thirty buildings date back to the early 1900s when the railway brought cowboys and miners to Sheridan in search of fame and fortune.  The saloons and blacksmith shops are gone, but the downtown area maintains an Old West feel with stores featuring western clothing and leather crafts.

Learn more about the area's Wild West past and spot wildlife of a 30-minute drive to the Big Horn Mountains.  You'll see where the Plains Indians took a last stand to protect sacred hunting grounds and discover the history of the "bloody" Bozeman Trail.  Nearby interpretive centers have trail and campground information as well as exhibits of the 300 spedies living in the mountain range.

Want a more adventurous approach to the mountains?  Go biking on a canyon trail that drops 4,000 feet or hang gliding on some of the best thermals in the northern Rockies.  In winter, you can go Cross-country skiing through the picturesque spruce forest.