Bozeman Yellowstone Airport - Spotting Guide

Bozeman Yellowstone Airport – Spotting Guide

December 3, 2024 - last modified on February 7, 2025

Welcome to Bozeman-Yellowstone Airport (BZN/KBZN)! Don’t be tricked by it’s location close to the city of Belgrade – you’re still in Montana, not Serbia. BZN is the biggest airport in Montana and serves domestic routes within the United States. During summer and winter season you might be able to catch some of the flights carrying backpackers (between June and August) for a trip through Yellowstone National Park or winter sports enthusiasts (between December and March). Especially served by Delta Air Lines, American, Alaska and United, BZN has charter operations during the more busy months of the year e.g with Southwest, Avelo and Allegiant. The big players serve their hubs like DEN, MSP and SLC with airplanes of size of Embraer E170 up to the Boeing 757-200. At BZN you will also find the local flight school and loads of private jets operating the whole year. If you’re lucky you might encounter some fighterjets of the USAF that use BZN for a refuel stop on mountain training flights or as their temporary base on events where they participate in a flyover above Bozeman like on the 4th of July. Enjoy the mountain panorama!

Written by Jakob Backmann (Instagram @jakobs.aviation). Last Update: July 2024

Rating
Movements
Airline Variety
Photo Locations
Weather
Airport Information
Runways
03/21	808m/2650ft – Asphalt
11/29	1539m/5050ft – Asphalt
12/30	2741m/8994ft – Asphalt
Terminals	One main terminal for all flights
Spotting Information
Ladder	Not needed – 1-2 steps recommended if you want to use spot #1b.
Car/Public Transport	Car needed, only location #1a and #1b are reachable from the terminal by foot.
Drinks/Food	No restrooms nearby. Bring water and food on hot days. Restaurants can be found in Belgrade which is easy to reach. Without a car be prepared to walk some steps to the next restaurants. With a car the airport terminal is another possibility for food, drinks and restrooms.
Hotels	Hotels and lodges can be found in Belgrade but more likely in Bozeman. At least a bike is needed to get there, Bozeman city is quite far from the airport.
Season	The summer season (June – August) and winter season (December-March) is the best time for planespotting at BZN. As it can get both very hot and cold in Bozeman, prepare yourself properly.
Security	No problems with security reported. Just keep in mind that spotting with a ladder might attract the airport security or police.
Runway Usage
General Info	Runways 11/29 and 12/30 are used most of the time. The prefered operation is landing and departing on runway 11 and 12.
03/21	Used for flight training only, rarely in use
11/29	Used for flight training only, especially landings. Runway 11 is the prefered usage.
12/30	Used for all landings and departures of private jets and commercial aviation as well as military activities. Rarely in use by the flight training. Runway 12 is the prefered direction of operations.

	Spot #1 – Smith Field – 12 Arrivals/Departures
WHERE	By car use Dry Creek Road and turn into E Cameron Av. Behind the Belgrade Senior Center turn right to Lions Park entrance and follow the short road until you reach a gravel field. Park your car here and walk a few meters to the left where you can find blue visitor stands to climb up on (Spot#1A). By public transport use the Pink Line until stop “Belgrade High School” and walk the last 10min to Lions Park. Spot#1B is located across Dry Creek Road, be aware of cars when crossing it. The fence is not really high so 1-2 steps are enough to clear the fence.

WHAT	From Spot 1A you will see all landings and departures from runway 12. Taxiway is not possible. For line-up on taxi A go to Spot 1B. All feature epic mountains in the backgrounds! Sometimes planes are waiting in the holding bay next to the taxiway for take off. Is this the case you can’t see the line-up.

TIME	Good from noon until sunset in summer, in winter all day. On the hot summer days heat haze is a big problem on taxiway A but not in the approach. Prepare for cold days and snow in winter.

MISC.	Bring water and sun protection in summer months and warm drinks and clothes during winter spotting. Restrooms and restaurants are quite a few steps away so consider to go by car or (Bozeman is very bike friendly) bring your bike. Be prepared for snow in winter! No issues with police or airport security but they might check on you when you’re at the fence . Don’t be rude to other people on the stands who want to enjoy watching their kids play baseball. Be friendly if you’re approached by curious locals. “Howdy” is a friendly word for saying hello and can be opener of a conversation, commonly used in this part of the USA.

FOCAL LENGTH	220mm for a 737 on the taxiway (less if you’re directly at the fence), 250mm for E170 on final approach. Private jets will require 300mm and more as most of them are not bigger than a Bombardier Global 7500.

	Spot #2 – Rental Car Parking Garage – 12/30 All Movements
WHERE	Follow the signs to the airport rental car parking garage. Inside the garage find your prefered parking deck and position to take photos at. No ladder needed but you might have to shoot through narrow gaps on the upper deck so consider staying on the lower levels for easy access with your camera.

WHAT	Runway 12 and 30, taxiway A and the apron are visible.

TIME	Good from noon until sunset in summer, in winter all day. Heat haze is a problem on hot summer days, especially when taking photos of landing and departing aircraft on the runway.

MISC.	Restrooms and shops are landside inside the terminal.

FOCAL LENGTH	At least 100mm (for 757-200 on the taxiway).

	Spot #3 – FedEx/Airport road – 30 Arrivals
WHERE	By car use Frontage Road and turn into either Airport or Tower road and follow it until you reach the FedEx shipping center. You can park and stay here or walk a few steps along Airport Rd, depending on the angle you prefer. No chance to go here by public transport without walking far distances.

WHAT	Runway 30 arrivals will approach in front of big mountains. For ramp shots go to the shipping center and have a look at the general aviation and cargo parking. You can use a ladder or take photos through the mesh of parked aircraft.

TIME	Good from noon until sunset in summer, in winter all day. You can use you car to follow the road northbound and enjoy the arrivals from sunrise until noon from a more northbound location.

MISC.	Nothing nearby, bring everything you need. Be aware of security and police especially when taking photos through or at the fence.

FOCAL LENGTH	No examples yet but you can walk along the road and get the best position for your equipment.