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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Colstrip
Skip Colstrip unless you are passing on MT-39 or here for Colstrip Days (last weekend in June): one night, own car required, no buses or taxis.
Colstrip is a small Rosebud County town of about 2,300 people, built in 1924 as a Northern Pacific Railway company town and still defined by the coal mine and power plants south of it. There is no bus or train service and no taxi, so a car is the whole plan. Most travellers see it as a fuel-and-bed stop between Billings and Miles City, or time a visit to Colstrip Days in late June.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Dec–Feb (cold, snow, ice on MT-39)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $100–170 excl. bed · High $170+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Montana Road Report 511
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $2–4 |
| Diner breakfast | $10–16 |
| Burger and fries | $12–18 |
| Draught beer in a bar | $5–8 |
| Gallon of fuel | $3–4 (check) |
| Motel double room, summer weekend | $90–190 |
| 9-hole green fee, Ponderosa Butte | $25–45 (check) |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BIL · Billings Logan International
- About 120 mi (2 h) by car; the nearest commercial airport.
Typical fares
- Billings airport → Colstrip, rental car
- about 120 mi, 2 h, fuel about $20–25 one way (check)
- Colstrip → Miles City
- about 90 mi, 1 h 30 min
- Colstrip → Forsyth
- about 60 mi, 1 h
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Drive. MT-39 runs through town and meets I-94 about 29 mi north. There is no taxi and no local bus; fuel up in town before heading out, because the next services are a long way off.
See and do
Known for
- Rosebud Mine and the coal-fired power plants
- Colstrip Days in late June
- Castle Rock Lake
- Ponderosa pines and sandstone hills
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Miles City | US-94 east, about 90 mi | About 1 h 30 min |
| Forsyth | MT-39 north to I-94, then east, about 60 mi | About 1 h |
| Hardin | MT-39 north, then I-94 west and US-87 south, about 85 mi | About 1 h 30 min |
| Crow Agency | MT-39 north, then I-94 west and US-212 south, about 95 mi | About 1 h 45 min |
| Billings | MT-39 north to I-94, then west, about 120 mi | About 2 h |
| Glendive | I-94 east, about 130 mi | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Town centre (Willow Ave, Main St, Cherry St)
- The inns and most food sit within a few blocks; walkable once you park.
- Castle Rock Lake area
- Quieter, near the lake and the disc golf course; still needs a car for everything.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the nearest gas station? | Where's the nearest gas station? |
| Is there a taxi in town? | Is there a taxi in town? |
| How far to the interstate? | How far to the interstate? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is the road open? | Is the road open? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No taxi, no bus, no train: without a car you are stuck.
- Cell coverage and fuel gaps on MT-39 and the back roads; carry water.
- Winter storms close or ice MT-39 with little warning.
- Bar scenes in and around town can be rough: keep it low-key and know your exit.
Low street crime, real road risk: long empty drives, winter ice, and no cell signal in places. Bars in and around town can be rough — be respectful, and leave if the room turns.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Colstrip yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Rosebud Mine and the coal-fired power plants
- Colstrip Days in late June
- Castle Rock Lake
- Ponderosa pines and sandstone hills
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Colstrip: www.cityofcolstrip.com/
- Visit Montana — Castle Rock Lake: www.visitmt.com/listings/general/lake/castle-rock-lake
- Wikivoyage: Colstrip, revision 5326352 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5326352
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Colstrip
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
No consulates in Colstrip; nearest consular offices are in Denver or Seattle (check).
Print this card: no taxi, no bus, and long gaps between services.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/colstrip). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.