The Yellowstone Trail: Billings’ Link to America’s First Road Trip

If you’ve noticed those school-bus colored Yellowstone Trail signs posted around downtown Billings, you’re not alone. On a recent date night, my wife spotted the one pictured above as we were leaving TEN to walk down to the Alberta Bair theater for a show.

"You should write an article about those", said my spouse, knowing how I'm always on the hunt for story ideas. And while I had an educated guess on what the Yellowstone Trail History National Automobile Route is all about, I wasn't 100% sure. Let's dig in.

Read More: Notable Montana Prison Inmates Who Made History

Here's what the signs mean.

They’re marking the Yellowstone Trail, one of America’s first coast-to-coast road trips.  Back when “road trip” meant packing extra tires, tools, water, fuel, and probably a healthy sense of humor and adventure.

Launched in 1912 by a South Dakota gentleman named J.W. Parmley, the Yellowstone Trail wasn’t a government plan; it was a grassroots idea cooked up by small towns and car clubs who figured, “Hey, if we build a route across the country, people will drive it - and spend money in our cafes and hotels.” Smart thinking.

The historic Yellowstone Trail motor route ran from coast to coast.

The trail eventually stretched from Massachusetts all the way to Washington state, roughly 3,700 miles of dirt roads, rickety bridges, and miles upon miles of farm fields and wide-open grassland.

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Billings was right on the route, an important stop for early travelers heading to... wait for it... Yellowstone National Park. Imagine the dust, the breakdowns, the overheated Model Ts chugging up the Rims. It wasn’t glamorous, but it was freedom on four wheels before interstates and fast food exits.

Though early motorists didn’t follow numbered highways, the route threaded roughly along what is now Interstate 90 through Montana. While the exact streets may be lost to time, local history keepers like the Western Heritage Center preserve the stories and maps of these early car roads.

The Yellowstone Trail eventually faded when the federal highway system took over in the 1920s, but its legacy is still alive. Groups today are working to preserve and mark the old route, reminding us that Billings was part of America’s first big push to explore the country by car.