Montana ยท season guide
Sledding season in Bozeman
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Helena Airport Asos weather station, about 78 miles from the middle of our Bozeman hill list show October as the first month that averages an inch of snow or more (2.8 inches). The normals are monthly averages, so they can't give a first-snow date. Some years come early, some late.
Caveat: the nearest NOAA station with snow normals is about 78 miles from these hills, so local snowfall can differ a lot from these numbers.
October snow is part of the record here: the normal for that month is 2.8 inches.
December is the snowiest month on average, at 7.7 inches.
Across a normal year the station records about 37.2 inches of snow. That puts Bozeman at 61 of 98 metros on this site, ranked from snowiest down.
About 56 days a year have an inch or more of snow on the ground.
That's close to Helena, the nearest metro on our list (37.2 inches).
Helena uses the same weather station on this site, so the snow numbers match. The hills don't.
All 4 hills we list here come from local sources rather than the park or city; sources call lindley park and snowfill recreation area gentle; peets hill (burke park) is described as steep.
Month by month
| Month | Average snowfall | Days with 1 inch or more of new snow | Days with 1 inch or more on the ground |
|---|---|---|---|
| October | 2.8 inches | 0.9 | 1.6 |
| November | 5.4 inches | 1.7 | 6.0 |
| December | 7.7 inches | 2.2 | 13.7 |
| January | 6.6 inches | 2.3 | 17.8 |
| February | 6.6 inches | 2.5 | 11.0 |
| March | 4.6 inches | 1.6 | 5.3 |
| April | 2.9 inches | 1.2 | 1.1 |
Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, station USW00024144. "Not stated by source" means NOAA publishes no value for that station.
Lit hills
None of the sources we used for Bozeman mention lights on a sledding hill. Plan on daylight, and see our national lit hills list if you're travelling.
Local rules
We didn't find a city-wide sledding rule for Bozeman in the sources we checked. Individual parks may post their own signs, and those win.
Short answers
When does it usually start snowing in Bozeman?
In NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Helena Airport Asos station, October is the first month averaging an inch of snow or more. The normals are monthly averages, not a date.
How much snow does Bozeman get in a year?
About 37.2 inches a year at the Helena Airport Asos station, per NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals.
Are there lit sledding hills in Bozeman?
None of the sources we used mention lights. Plan on daylight.
Updated