Museum of the Rockies follows Montana State University's Service Animal Policy.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) defines "service animal" as a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Service animals are not pet. They are working animals who have been trained to perform work or tasks for a person with a disability. The work or task must be directly related to the person's disability.

Examples of such work or tasks include:

• Guiding people who are blind
• Alerting people who are deaf
• Pulling a wheelchair
• Alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure
• Reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications
• Calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack
• Individuals with mental disabilities may also use service animals that are individually trained to perform a specific task.

Dogs that are not trained to perform tasks that mitigate the effects of a disability, including dogs that are used purely for emotional support, comfort, therapeutic benefit, companionship, are not service animals under the ADA.

A miniature horse may be considered a service animal as defined by the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division. Other animals, whether wild or domestic, do not qualify as service animals.

Museum of the Rockies does not have a restaurant onsite. A couple of restaurants are located nearby.

Food and beverages may not be consumed anywhere in the museum except for in the main lobby, downstairs lobby, or outside.

Bagged lunches must be stowed away at all times while visiting the museum and must only be eaten in the downstairs lobby or on the Bair Plaza (weather permitting). The museum has no refrigerated storage for lunches.

Vending machines are located in the lower level lobby.

Bottle water is not permitted in the exhibition halls, Hager Auditorium, or Taylor Planetarium.

There is a water bottle filling station in the main lobby and lower lobby.

Individuals with disabilities who would like to request accessibility accommodation are encouraged to send an email as far in advance as possible.

Free guided tours are available for visitors who are blind or have low vision as well as visitors who are deaf. Sign language interpretation is available upon request for any program.

Please call 406.944.6618 or send an email to visitmor@montana.edu two weeks in advance of your visit.

The museum has two manual wheelchairs available for use on a first-come, first-serve basis.

The museum provides complimentary Wi-Fi access; choose the MSU-Guest network on your device.

No password necessary. This is an open, unencrypted network.

Museum of the Rockies distributes a limited number of complimentary admission passes each year to staff, volunteers, business members, regional non-profits to support their fundraising efforts, and for marketing or public relations campaigns.

New Complimentary Admission Pass Policy
On June 3, 2020, Museum of the Rockies implemented a new complimentary museum pass policy. This policy allows MOR to comply with complimentary admission pass financial tracking control measures and forgery prevention measures.

• These new passes have an alpha/numeric tracking barcode and a designated expiration date.
• To redeem, please give your complimentary admission pass to the front desk upon arrival. An online reservation cannot be made using a complimentary admission pass, so please use it on a walk-in basis.
• If a new pass is lost, the previously issued pass will be voided, and a replacement pass will be issued from the marketing or membership department. Please allow up to five business days for this replacement pass to be issued.
• Please make plans to use your complimentary museum pass before it expires. Once expired, MOR will no longer accept the complimentary admission pass. Expired passes will not be exchanged for new admission passes.

Complimentary Admission Passes Issued Before January 1, 2021 Have Expired
Due to this new policy (see above), all previously issued complimentary museum or planetarium admission passes (those with no expiration date and those with an expiration date of 12/31/2020 or earlier) expired on December 31, 2020. These passes will no longer be accepted and will not be exchanged for a new pass.

Since 2016, Museum of the Rockies has written or stamped an expiration date on all complimentary museum passes. In the past, we have accepted expired complimentary admission passes or those with no expiration date, but we are no longer able to do so due to our new policy.

As a member of a science center or museum participating in the ASTC Travel Passport Program, you are eligible for complimentary general admission for two adults, plus children or grandchildren under the age of 18.

Please pack your membership card. Museum of the Rockies is not required to grant benefits to visitors who forget their cards. There is no universal database with all Passport visitors’ member data for admission staff to reference.

Lost your membership card? Please contact your home science center or museum for a new card.

Non-commercial Use:

• The museum permits still and video photography for non-commercial use only, unless otherwise posted. MOR does not permit the use of its name, image, or collections for commercial purposes without prior approval.
• For the safety of our visitors and collections, the use of drones, tripods, monopods, and selfie sticks, staging equipment, and/or lighting enhancements is not permitted at any time.
• Visitors may be filmed, photographed, or recorded by the museum for educational and promotional uses, including but not limited to the museum's website and other marketing initiatives.

Commercial Use:

• Working members of the media and those wishing to take or use photos or video for commercial use must complete & submit the museum’s film/photography permit to be reviewed for potential approval by the museum's Director of Marketing. Proof of insurance and a location fee will be required.
• Please submit requests to film, photograph, or record audio at least 14 days in advance of the event whenever possible. Completing the permit does not ensure that permission to film, photograph, or record audio will be granted.
• All permitted must be escorted by a museum staff member while in the building.

Contact the Director of Marketing via email or 406.992.2652.

The use of tobacco (including cigarettes, cigars, pipes, smokeless tobacco, and all other tobacco products) is prohibited on all properties owned or leased by Montana State University.

Museum of the Rockies is on the Montana State University campus so this policy includes our buildings, grounds, and parking lots.

• Strollers / Double strollers
• Cameras
• Mobility aids (wheelchairs, canes, walkers, etc.)
• Service animals (not pets or emotional support animals)

• Firearms / ammunition
• Knives (including pen, pocket or "Swiss Army"-style knives)
• Aerosol cans (including pepper spray and Mace)
• Pets and emotional support animals (except service animals)
• Tripods
• Monopods
• Selfie sticks
• Backpacks / Large bags / Daypacks
• Luggage
• Cigarettes or E-cigarettes
• Skateboards / scooters

Visitation policies at MOR are designed to protect visitors and staff as well as secure and preserve the collections, facilities, and historic buildings entrusted to MOR care. While on the museum premises, No visitor shall:

• Carry firearms, other dangerous or deadly weapons, or explosives, either openly or concealed on the premises. The prohibition on firearms applies to all visitors, including those with firearm permits, but not to active law enforcement personnel authorized to carry firearms. Note: Kirpans (ceremonial knives) are religious articles of faith often worn by Sikhs. These knives are permitted in the museums as long as the blades are 4 inches or less in length, consistent with Montana and Federal laws.
• Display or carry placards, signs, or banners
• Destroy, damage, or remove property
• Climb upon any part of a building
• Use loud, abusive, or otherwise improper language
• Loiter, sleep, or participate in unwarranted assemblies
• Create any hazard to persons or things
• Perform obscene or indecent acts
• Engage in disorderly conduct
• Use, possess, or sell illegal drugs
• Bring dogs or other animals, other than service animals
• Take photographs for advertising or any other commercial purpose
• Solicit for commercial or charitable purposes or distribute advertisements, pamphlets, handbills, and flyers.
• Injure or disturb any exhibit or research animal by any means except to secure personal safety
• Pet, attempt to pet, handle, move, or remove exhibit or research animals
• Feed exhibit animals, except in strict accordance with authorized signs
• Catch, attempt to catch, trap, remove or kill any free-roaming animals inhabiting the premises
• Go over, under, between, or otherwise cross any guardrail, fence, moat, wall, or any other safety barrier
• Seat, stand, or hold children over any safety barrier
• Throw or toss rocks, or any other missiles into, from, or while on the premises
• Engage in ball games, or any athletic activity, except in places as may be officially designated for such purposes
• Smoke or carry lighted cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, or pipes into MOR building, or to have a fire of any kind on the premises
• Damage, deface, pick, or remove any herb, shrub, bush, tree, or turf, or portion thereof

The Education section of this website contains all of the information needed to plan for your school field trip.

Volunteers can dedicate their time to many areas at Museum of the Rockies. They are continually learning new skills and taking on new experiences and challenges. Maybe some of the tasks shown below will catch your eye and interest! Use this link to learn more and apply.

Due to temporarily limited resources, the museum is unable to consider future facility rental requests. As soon as this changes, we will be happy to consider your request, however, we are unable to maintain a waitlist. Please check the Facility Rental page on this website periodically as it will be updated as soon as possible. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience.