About cycling & running in BillingsBillings Training Notes
Running: Billings runners use the Rimrocks, Swords Park, Pioneer Park, Lake Elmo State Park, and Riverfront Park when they want easy miles or dirt. Locals link Aronson Avenue Trail, Shiloh Road Trail, Alkali Creek Trail, Big Ditch Trail, Jim Dutcher Trail, and Rimrock Road Trail for base miles without making it fancy. Yellowstone Rim Runners keep the group side simple with Wednesday night and Saturday morning runs. Run! Run!, The Shamrock Run, Montana Women's Run, Heart & Sole Race, and Montana Marathon give the calendar real anchors. Phipps Park makes Quitcherbitchen' Trail Run feel honest, because even the shorter route is challenging.
Cycling: Billings has paved paths, gravel roads, canal trails, rolling hills, and singletrack. Zimmerman Park is the mountain bike hub, and Phipps Park is where locals test handling when the legs are already talking. The Skyline Trail connects Swords Park and Zimmerman Park, and the trail gives at least 7 miles along the Rims. The Spoke Shop, Billings Area Cycling Network (BACN), and Billings NICA Team are the names riders check first. 9 miles. The climbs sit on the Rimrocks north and east, with South Hills adding more work.
Season: Spring and autumn are the best months, and locals treat them like the clean window for intervals, long runs, gran fondo prep, and steady Z2. Billings sits around 1170 m above sea level, so even normal days have a little altitude in the legs. Summer stays dry and hot, and temperatures rise over 32°C on about 1 to 3 days per year. Locals start earlier then, especially on the Rims and the exposed gravel. Winter turns cold and dry, and temperatures drop below -18°C on about 12.9 days per year. Chinook winds often limit heavy buildup, so runners keep routes moving while riders shift toward shorter spins, MTB, and cyclocross-style grit.
