A Day Trip from Helena, Montana:
Virginia City & Nevada City

Day-tripping from Helena, MT by Heidi O’Brien, Helena Tourism Alliance

Helena, Montana is smack-dab in the middle of western Montana. Helena is 178 miles from Yellowstone National Park and 187 miles from Glacier National Park. This capital city certainly makes a great place to stay for a couple of days if you’re traveling from Park to Park. Helena is also a great place to base yourself and your family while you’re exploring Montana.

One of the many great day trips from the Helena-area is to Virginia City and Nevada City. Recently, my boys and I went to Virginia City and Nevada City where my sister and her family met up with us. It’s just about two hours from Helena. Now, I need to stop here and explain two hours of driving in Montana – it’s not about traffic (at all) it’s wandering through miles upon miles of ranch land spotted with tiny towns. In every direction you look, you see a million-dollar view.

Virginia City and Nevada City are both perfect family-friendly destinations. These small towns are also perfect for the history buff. They were both founded in the mid-1800s as gold-rush towns. The communities have done a great job of appealing to both crowds.

I believe that these pictures do a great job explaining the effect that this trip had on my family. When you are in Helena, I encourage you to make this day trip to this area of Montana.

Virginia City is set-up so that you can walk into the different stores and shops as they looked in the mid-1800s.

Cousins Candy Story in Virginia City is a MUST for anyone with a sweet tooth.

Of course you can ride your horse to town – it’s Montana.

Hey – who are those crazy folks?

This looks like trouble on wheels. Virginia City.

Where the train ends, the boys find water.

You can visit the cemeteries in both Virginia City and Nevada City. It is amazing to see all the grave markers and imagine what life must have been like in Montana 150 years ago.

Boot Hill is whee the outlaws were buried.

There is a train that runs hourly between Virginia City and Nevada City.

All aboard!

The Living History museum in Nevada City is a great way for the entire family to step back in time. Be sure to check the hours of when live reenactments will take place.

The Living History museum in Nevada City is a great way for the entire family to step back in time. Be sure to check the hours of when live reenactments will take place.

This character is finally where he belongs – in the Nevada City Jail.

Nevada City is a reconstructed town. The original town was torn down in search of gold, but historians did their best to make this town as close to the original as they could.

Homemade ice cream in Virginia City – perfect on a warm day.

Of everything we saw and did, I think this is the right I’ll remember the most.

Other things that we could have done include:
Taking a Jeep tour up Alder Gulch.
Pan for gold.
See the Virginia City Players or Brewery Follies (adults only).
Taken a lantern tour.
Hop aboard a Stagecoach or old Fire Engine.

For more information on Virginia City and Nevada City visit their web site – and also be sure to call if you have a specific question.