Havre to Montana City is 208.2 miles and takes about 3h 40m via US 87, with a fuel budget near $37 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Mountain West, offering a straightforward drive through Montana. It's a solid option if you're looking for a single-day transit between these two points, with a good portion of it on a major highway. Consider this if you need efficient travel across the state with minimal fuss.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
104.1 miles from Havre, MT
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 56m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
US 87
107.3 mi
1h 58m
First Special Service Force Memorial Highway
91.9 mi
1h 28m
1st Street
3.1 mi
3m
3rd Street Northwest
1.4 mi
1m
Central Avenue West
1.3 mi
1m
Old Havre Highway
0.8 mi
1m
Montana Highway 518
0.7 mi
1m
Smelter Avenue Northeast
0.5 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
US 87
— 107.3 mi, about 1h 58m
Traffic on I-15
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 8 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~467 veh/hr typical
· worst 567
Quietest
2 AM
~12 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
38.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 52 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Havre, MT and Montana City, MT.
1
Start on Montana Avenue
161 ft·11 sec·Montana Avenue
2
Turn left onto 5th Street
0.1 mi·39 sec·5th Street
3
Turn left onto 2nd Avenue
0.3 mi·1 min·2nd Avenue
4
Turn left onto US 2
3.1 mi·3 min·1st Street
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto US 87
107 mi·1 hr 58 min·US 87
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on US 87
297 ft·5 sec·15th Street Northeast
7
Turn right onto Old Havre Highway
0.8 mi·1 min·Old Havre Highway
8
Turn right onto Smelter Avenue Northeast
0.5 mi·42 sec·Smelter Avenue Northeast
9
Turn straight onto 3rd Street Northwest
1.4 mi·1 min·3rd Street Northwest
10
Turn right onto I 15 Business
1.3 mi·1 min·Central Avenue West
11
Turn sharp left
0.3 mi·34 sec
12
Merge onto I 15; US 89; MT 200
92 mi·1 hr 28 min·First Special Service Force Memorial Highway
13
Take the exit
0.2 mi·36 sec
Exit 187Toward MT 518: Montana City
14
Turn left onto S 518
0.7 mi·1 min·Montana Highway 518
15
Arrive at destination
S 518
Trip Plan
For this 3h 40m drive, starting in the morning will give you plenty of daylight. Since it's a single-day trip with only one recommended stop, you have flexibility with your timing. Keep an eye on fuel, especially before you hit the longest stretch on US 87, to ensure you have enough to reach Montana City comfortably. The $37 fuel estimate is a good baseline for planning your budget.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 104.1 miles from Havre, MT, or about 1h 56m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 107.3 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 46 miles or 52m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 104.1 miles or 1h 56m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 3h 3m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Montana City, MT than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Havre, MT so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Havre, MT
This is one driving day of about 208.2 miles and 3h 40m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 46 miles from Havre, MT.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on US 87 for about 107.3 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 11
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 207.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip|~0m in|5th Street
Turn left onto 5th Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.5 mi into trip|~2m in|US 2 / 1st Street
Turn left onto US 2 / 1st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
3.6 mi into trip|~5m in|US 87
Turn left onto US 87
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
115.1 mi into trip|~2h 9m in
Turn sharp left
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
5
207.3 mi into trip|~3h 39m in
Take the exit toward MT 518: Montana City
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 187
Toward MT 518: Montana City
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$32.45 one way
$64.90 round trip
$3.96/gal25.4 MPG avg73 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.17
$34.21
$68.41
premium
$4.47
$36.67
$73.35
diesel
$4.80
$39.31
$78.62
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$32
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$57–$82
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 72.8 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $22 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
62.5
0
$21.86
$9.99
Efficient EV
52.1
0
$18.22
$8.33
EV Truck/SUV
83.3
1
$29.15
$13.32
Gas CO2
73 kg
EV CO2
24 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of Jul 19, 2026
Origin
Havre, MT
Late night
in Havre on Sunday
Local time
4:11 AM
MDT
Current temp
63°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
SW 8 mph40% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued July 18 at 6:43PM MDT by NWS Billings MT
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued July 18 at 6:41PM MDT until July 18 at 7:15PM MDT by NWS Great Falls MT
Destination
Montana City, MT
Late night
in Montana City on Sunday
Local time
4:11 AM
MDT
Current temp
57°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy
SSW 2 to 6 mph51% chanceLive forecast
Special Weather Statement
Special Weather Statement issued July 18 at 6:43PM MDT by NWS Billings MT
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued July 18 at 6:41PM MDT until July 18 at 7:15PM MDT by NWS Great Falls MT
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
6 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
3h 40m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
You'll spend about 52% of the 208.2 miles on highways. The longest continuous stretch on US 87 covers 107.3 miles, providing a good opportunity for steady cruising. After the highway portion, you'll transition to surface roads, including segments of First Special Service Force Memorial Highway and 1st Street, for the remainder of the trip.
52% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 107.3 mi on US 87.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 5th Street.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 3h 40m drive. You will face about 11 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (US 2 / 1st Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles (US 87): Lane positioning matters here.
The longest stretch is about 107.3 miles on US 87. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through MT can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (US 2 / 1st Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles (US 87): Lane positioning matters here.
Possible but tiring. At 3.7 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 7.4 hours — manageable with a long break at Montana City, MT, but most travelers stay overnight.
