Entry No. 44 — the Butte file — filed under: haunted
Bannack State Park
Montana's first territorial capital and the best-preserved ghost town in the state, with over fifty original log and frame buildings lining a single dirt main street. It is a National Historic Landmark and a fixture on Montana's most-haunted lists, the Meade Hotel and the old schoolhouse drawing the most ghost reports. The town runs a costumed Ghost Walk with live actors each October. You can walk straight into many of the empty buildings, no recreated facades.
The story
On July 28, 1862, gold was struck along Grasshopper Creek, and Bannack materialized out of the sagebrush almost overnight. It quickly became Montana’s first territorial capital before the easy gold ran out and political power shifted away. What sets Bannack apart isn't just that it died, but how much was left standing when the town emptied out. In 1954, the Beaverhead County Museum Association handed much of the townsite over to the State of Montana, freezing over fifty original log and frame buildings along a single dirt main street.
Most ghost towns you encounter are either modern recreations or splintered ruin piles behind chain-link fences. Bannack lets you cross the threshold. You can walk straight into many of the un-roped 1860s interiors, stand in the old schoolhouse, or climb the stairs inside the brick Meade Hotel—originally constructed in 1875 as the Beaverhead County courthouse before being converted to lodge travelers. Paranormal enthusiasts fixate heavily on both the hotel and schoolhouse, but the real spine-tingle comes from the sheer emptiness of authentic, weathered rooms with no glass in the windows.
What it's like
You'll head about twenty miles west of Dillon down Bannack Road until the modern world drops off. Expect to pay a state park day-use fee at entry. If you arrive between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the visitor center operates roughly from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., providing guides and context before you hit the dirt main street. Wear sturdy shoes—you'll be stepping over worn floorboards, threshold stones, and rough soil. If you want the eerie factor dialed up, visit in late October when the park runs its annual Ghost Walk using live actors, but be sure to verify schedule details before driving out.
The move: Spend a half-day wandering in and out of fifty-plus empty 1860s buildings and climbing the Meade Hotel stairs.
📍 Before you go Visitor center staffed Memorial Day-Labor Day (~10am-6pm); park day-use fee applies; Ghost Walk is late October only.
- 📍 Bannack (near Dillon), MT
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: 4200 Bannack Rd, Dillon, MT
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Crystal Park — Trade Bannack's preserved wooden ghost town for hands-on dirt work in the Pioneer Mountains, where you are permitted to dig up quartz crystals.
- Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns — Pair Bannack's early gold rush streetscape with a visit to twenty-three beehive-shaped brick kilns built in the 1880s to fuel regional smelting.
- Berlin Mine — Extend your mining history tour into the Melrose district to scout the remnants of an abandoned gold and silver lode mine.
Good to know
Can you go inside the buildings at Bannack State Park?
Yes, you can walk directly inside many of the fifty-plus original 1860s log and frame structures, including the Meade Hotel and the old schoolhouse.
When is the visitor center open?
The visitor center is staffed seasonally from Memorial Day through Labor Day, generally between 10:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Is there an entry fee?
Yes, Bannack State Park requires a day-use fee per vehicle.
What is the October Ghost Walk?
The Ghost Walk is a special event held late each October featuring live actors who re-enact historic events around the dark ghost town streets.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: fwp.mt.gov · Wikipedia · roamingmontana.com · southwestmt.com
last checked: 2026-06-24