Getting Here

Arriving by Plane

Many Butte visitors arrive by plane at the Bert Mooney Airport (BTM). From the airport, most visitors will want to rent a car for the easiest access to Montana's wide open spaces. Budget, Avis and Hertz offer rental service at the airport, and Enterprise has an office a short distance down Harrison Ave. Alteratively, grab a taxi or take the Butte Bus Harrison Route to make your way around the greater Butte area.

The drive to Butte's central business corridor along Harrison Ave. from the Bert Mooney Airport will take only a few minutes -- depending on the traffic. A drive to the Uptown Butte Historic District from the airport will take 10-20 minutes.

If you are driving yourself, from the airport to the Uptown Butte Historic District, start by taking a right turn out of the airport, which will take you northbound along Harrison Ave. Follow Harrison for about 4 miles, until the street passes under a train bridge and curves to the left - you will now be on Front St. Continue about 0.4 miles along Front St to the intersection with Main St. Take a right onto Main and continue driving up the hill for a bit less than a mile - the intersection of Main and Park Streets marks the center of Butte's Historic District. For more options, refer to Google Maps.

Arriving by Car 

If you are arriving in Butte by car, there are several ways you may be driving in. Butte lies at the junction of Interstate 15 (I-15), running north-south, and Interstate 90 (I-90), running east-west. Travelers on either highway will pass through Butte.

Arriving from I-15 from the south or I-90 from the west, you will pass Exit 222 - Rocker, then continue for about 2 miles.

  •  For Historic Uptown Butte, take Exit 224 - City Center/I-115 for about 1.7 miles to the intersection with Montana St. Turn left onto Montana St and continue for .5 miles to the intersection of Montana and Park Streets. From this intersection, the core Historic Uptown District, including parking, shops, and historical attractions, will be to your right down Park St. Montana Tech and the World Museum of Mining are to the left down Park Street approximately 1 mile. See this route on Google Maps.
  •  For the Harrison Avenue business corridor, continue past Exit 222 - Rocker for about 5 miles. You will pass Exit 224 - City Center/I-115 and Exit 226 - Montana Street. Take Exit 127A (south) or 127B (north) to Harrison Ave. Thompson Park and other recreation areas in the Highlands Range are located directly south along Harrison Ave, starting in about 6 miles. See this route on Google Maps.

Arriving from I-15 from the north, you will pass Exit 134 - Woodville. Continue for about 4 miles. Keep right at the fork, and follow signs for I-15 S/I-90 W/Butte and merge onto I-15 S/I-90 W.

  • For the Harrison Avenue business corridor, continue for about 1.5 miles. Take Exit 127A (south) or 127B (north) to Harrison Ave. See this route on Google Maps.
  • For Historic Uptown Butte, continue past the Harrison Avenue Exits for about 1.5 miles. Take Exit 126 - Montana St. Turn right onto Montana Street, and continue up the hill for about 1.5 miles to the intersection of Montana and Park Streets. From this intersection, the core Historic Uptown District, including parking, shops, and historical attractions, will be to your right down Park St. Montana Tech and the World Museum of Mining are to the left down Park Street approximately 1 mile. See this route on Google Maps.

 Arriving from I-90 from the east, you will pass Exit 228 - Continental Drive. Continue for about 2.5 miles.

  • For the Harrison Avenue business corridor, take Exit 127A (south) or 127B (north) to Harrison Ave. See this route on Google Maps.
  • For Historic Uptown Butte, continue past the Harrison Avenue Exits for about 1.5 miles. Take Exit 126 - Montana St. Turn right onto Montana Street, and continue up the hill for about 1.5 miles to the intersection of Montana and Park Streets. From this intersection, the core Historic Uptown District, including parking, shops, and historical attractions, will be to your right down Park St. Montana Tech and the World Museum of Mining are to the left down Park Street approximately 1 mile. See this route on Google Maps.

Scenic Drives

For travelers interested in getting off the beaten path, Montana Highway 2 (MT-2)/Old US Highway 10 offers a scenic alternative into or out of Butte.

From Butte, MT-2 is located to the south and passes through the Highlands Range before turning east. Numerous trailheads are accessible directly from MT-2. Continuing on, travelers can proceed via other state highways to the Jefferson River, Missouri Headwaters State Park, Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, and on to the Bozeman and Yellowstone Park areas, including the Ennis/West Yellowstone park entrance.

Travelers coming toward Butte from the east on I-90 can reach MT-2 via Exit 249 - Whitehall. See MT-2 on Google Maps.

Travelers coming from or going to the west of Butte along I-90 can drive one of Montana's most scenic routes, the Pintler Veterans Memorial Scenic Highway (Montana Highway 1), running from Drummond to Interstate-90 near Butte. The scenic highway passes through the towns of Philipsburg and Anaconda along the magnificent Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, and by the Georgetown Lake recreation area and Discovery Basin ski area. 

Travelers coming from or going to the south/southwest of Butte along I-15 also have the opportunity to travel through the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, which, apart from scenic vistas, connects to the Big Hole and Wise Rivers.

Arriving by Bus or Train

Bus Connections

The following companies offer intercity bus service to and from Butte:

  • Salt Lake Express offers bus service on I-15 between Butte and Salt Lake City, Utah. Buses arrive and depart from the Butte Bus Transfer Station across from the Civic Center on Harrison Ave. For more information, use the Salt Lake Express phone number, 800-356-9796; this service is not currently shown on their website.

All intercity buses arrive and depart from the Butte Bus Transfer Station, offering easy connection to the Butte Bus public transit service. Schedules, routes, and fare information are listed on the Butte Bus website.

Train

Train service in Montana is limited, with one Amtrak stop along the Empire Builder route located in Whitefish, Montana, about 4 hours north and west from Butte. For ticketing and schedule information, visit the Amtrak website. See the highway route from Whitefish to Butte on Google Maps.

Visitor Center

Additional tourist information and trolley tours can be found at the Butte Visitors Center, 1000 George St. Read more at the Butte Convention & Visitors Bureau website.