With Cee’s Midweek Madness Challenge of “October Autumn Colors” in mind, I carried my camera on walks in Billings city parks over the last several days. There weren’t nearly as many yellows, oranges and reds as I expected! Here is an early October 2022 glimpse of the varied vegetation in Montana’s largest city (population 117,116).

The Yellowstone River marks the southern edge of Riverfront Park – a place flooded by the river back June. Dirt trails to the river’s edge take off through the woods from the single paved path.

Phipps Park is in the Rimrocks on the northwestern edge of Billings and includes a steep hike to the top. Once at the top, there’s plenty of open space to roam.

Closer to the center of Billings, Pioneer Park is far more developed than either Riverfront or Phipps Park. While there are many amenities (see https://www.billingsparks.org/location/pioneer/), the tall trees are the best reason to walk there.