Cut Bank

Cut Bank is a small city in northwest Montana, near Glacier National Park. It has a population of about 3,000 and is the county seat of Glacier County.

Understand

Glacier County is home to about half of Glacier National Park, and most of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, though Cut Bank is not on the reservation. Once the "Oil Capital of Montana," oil production has diminished and Cut Bank is now a regional service center for Blackfeet Reservation and surrounding area, including the east approach to Glacier National Park. Cut Bank has gained national attention from time to time by sometimes reporting the coldest temperature in the 48 contiguous states. However, being in Montana's "Chinook Zone," it can also report rapid warming in mid-winter accompanied by strong Southwest winds.

Additional information is available from the Cut Bank Chamber of Commerce and from the Cut Bank Pioneer Press.

Get in

By plane

• Scheduled air service is available at Great Falls (GTF ^IATA) about 110 miles to the southeast; Lethbridge (YQL ^IATA) about 90 miles to the north; and at Kalispell (FCA ^IATA) about 130 miles to the west.
• 1 Cut Bank Municipal Airport (CTB  ^IATA). No scheduled air service, but its airport can handle most aircraft and is a National Weather Service (AWOS) reporting station.  

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

Empire Builder, 1940s, Glacier National Park

• 2 Cut Bank station, 101 BNSF Industrial Site. (updated Oct 2023)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates train service around the United States of America. (updated Mar 2022) Route stopping at Cut Bank:
    • Empire Builder operating daily between Seattle/Portland and Chicago including stops at Spokane, Glacier National Park, Fargo, Saint Paul, and Milwaukee. The trains split into separate branches between Seattle and Spokane, and between Portland and Spokane, while operating as trains consisting of train cars from both branches between Spokane and Chicago. The train stops at 10:40AM eastbound to Chicago, and 5:51PM westbound to Seattle.

By car

Cut Bank is on US Highway 2 which runs east to west across Montana's northern tier. Highway 213 north from Cut Bank becomes Alberta 62 at the International border and leads to Magrath and eventually (via Hwy 5) Lethbridge. The major north-south highway in the area is Interstate 15. Exits for Cut Bank are 363 (23 miles east) and 379 (28 miles northeast).

By bus

Northern Transit Interlocal (NTI) Bus offers free bus service every Thursday to and from Great Falls and Shelby and service to Kalispell every Tuesday and Wednesday. Call to make arrangements.

Get around

There is no taxi service in Cut Bank. Rental cars are available at:

• Bell Motor Company, 121 East Main St., toll-free: +1-800-823-2355. 8AM - 5PM, year-round. +1-800-735-1849 
• 1 Northern Ford, 120 W Main St., toll-free: +1-800-823-1234. M-F 8AM-5PM, Sa 9AM-noon. 

The local dealerships do not feature unlimited mileage.

For visitors to the east side of Glacier National Park, Cut Bank offers the only car dealerships (and their associated services, such as repair and maintenance) immediately adjacent to the park. There are no dealerships in Browning or Shelby, and the next closest are in Conrad, Great Falls, or the Flathead Valley.

See

The talking penguin

• Glacier National Park, 45 minutes west.
• 27-foot tall talking penguin. At the east end of Cut Bank. 
• Murals throughout the downtown area.
• Willie DeGroot Gymnasium. Seating 5500 people, Montana's largest high school gymnasium. 
• 1 Glacier County Museum. 

Do

• Cut Bank Golf and Country Club. Across the river from the city, 
• Glacier Cinema, 111 E Main St. Two screens. 
• Glacier Lanes, 34 South Central Ave, ☏ +1 406 873-4018. Bowling. 

Buy

• Norman's Western Wear, 601 West Main (Northern Village Shopping Center), ☏ +1 406 873-5313. 
• Albertson's Food and Drug, 501 West Main, ☏ +1 406 873-5035. Daily 6AM-11PM. 

Eat

• Village Dining and Lounge, 601 West Main (Northern Village Shopping Center), ☏ +1 406 873-5005. 

Sleep

• Cut Bank Super 8, 609 West Main St, ☏ +1 406 873-5662, toll-free: +1-800-800-8000. 
• Glacier Gateway Inn Cut Bank, 1121 Railroad St, toll-free: +1 877-206-7397. 
• Terrace Motel, 11 9th Avenue S (on Main Street), ☏ +1 406 873-5031. E. 

Go next

• Glacier National Park — Cut Bank provides the nearest full-service tourist facilities to the east side of Glacier National Park, including banking, car rental and repair, full service grocery, clothing stores, lodging, campground, and medical and dental care.

Routes through Cut Bank

Spokane ← Browning ←	W  E	→ Shelby → Minot
Kalispell ← Browning ←	W  E	→ Shelby → Williston