Best Ways to Get from Bozeman to Butte Montana

Traveling between cities in Montana can be Tricky. Especially given there is far less public transportation between Montana cities than would be for other cities in the country. This is to help you plan your travel between Bozeman MT and Butte MT.

Driving from Bozeman to Butte MT

By Far the easiest and most convenient way of travel between Bozeman and Butte Montana is by private car.

The distance between Bozeman and Butte Montana is 85 miles and takes roughly 1.5 hrs.

If traffic allows it the fastest and most convenient route is via I-90 West. Butte Montana is located where I-90 and I-15 merge, so you may end up on I-15 or I-115 depending on your final destination.

You can avoid some of I-90 by going Montana 84 West to Norris, MT and then taking US-287N to Cardwell before merging back on I-90. You can also skip more of I-90 if necessary but really the additional backroads can and will extend your trip significantly. I would only recommend if there is something seriously wrong on I-90

Taxi / Uber from Bozeman to Butte Montana

This can get very expensive to travel between Bozeman and Butte Montana. Also depending on the time of time, finding an Uber can be difficult particularly very early or late.

Uber / Lyft Rides tend to run $150++ from Bozeman to Butte Montana. Taxis are very similar as well. You can try calling a local taxi place such as Bridger Taxi (406-624-8294) in Bozeman to perhaps help at least find a taxi available.

Car Rentals in Bozeman Montana

Depending on your planned destinations and where you might want to drop off a rental. There are car rental agencies located within Bozeman Montana. You can also rent cars from some of the car dealerships as well. Subaru and Toyota in Bozeman both rent vehicles.

Be sure to also plan for the type of vehicle for the weather as well. I tend to prefer the Subaru’s particularly if you are unsure of the weather you’ll see.

Note: there are more options at Bozeman Airport. However, the airport is located in Belgrade Montana, which is about 11 miles and 15-20 minutes outside of Bozeman.

Traveling by Bus from Bozeman to Butte Montana

There are Bus Options but tend to be far less frequent given that most people drive in Montana.

Jefferson Lines has a daily bus from Bozeman Montana to Butte Montana. This bus leaves at 3:45AM and arrives in Butte around 5:05 am.

The Bus leaves from the Walmart Parking Lot in Bozeman and arrives at the Butte Bus Station in Butte Montana

Price: $53

Train between Bozeman and Butte Montana

Train options in Montana are very limited. Sadly the only Amtrak trains in Montana are in Northern Montana that service Glacier National Park and other towns along the path closer to the Canada border. The Empire Builder Line runs from Chicago to Seattle.

View of Downtown Butte, Montana — Credit: Jasperado (CC)

Driving from Butte to Bozeman MT

This is basically the reverse of the Directions above. Starting in Butte, take I-90 East to Bozeman Montana. The path is very straight forward.

Distance: 85 miles (1.5 hrs.)

You can come off the highway a bit in Cardwell Montana and take Montana 359S to US-287S to Montana 84W. However, I would recommend exiting the highway only if traffic on I-90 is bad.

Taxi / Uber from Butte MT to Bozeman MT

Taxis and Ubers between Butte and Bozeman are not inexpensive.

Uber / Lyft Rides tend to run $150++ from Butte to Bozeman Montana. Taxis are very similar as well.

There are several taxi companies in Butte. A couple to try include. Mining City Taxi (406-723-6511) or Butte Cab Company (406-498-9713).

If it’s late or early you might want to try a taxi as it can sometimes be hard to find an Uber/Lyft in Butte.

Car Rentals in Butte Montana

There are a large number of options for car rentals in Butte Montana.

You can also rent at the Butte Airport which has several options close to the terminal and I find closer to downtown than the Bozeman Airport to the city. You can find most of these options on RentalCars.com or Priceline. Which is probably the best option for renting a car.

There are also car dealerships in Butte such as Leskovar Honda that rent cars as well.

Be sure to get a rental for the weather that you may experience. I would recommend a 4WD/AWD if you plan to be there anytime where snow is a possibility.

Traveling by Bus from Butte to Bozeman Montana

Travel Schedules for Bus are not great between these two cities.

Jefferson Lines has a bus from Butte MT to Bozeman MT daily that is from 12:30AM to 01:50AM

The Bus leaves from the Butte Bus Station in Butte and arrives at the Missoula Bus Station. You’ll need to change to another bus (or uber/taxi) if you need to get downtown or elsewhere in Missoula.