Entry No. 45 — the Butte file — filed under: history
Garnet Ghost Town
A BLM-managed gold-mining ghost town tucked high in the Garnet Range with more than thirty preserved buildings, a saloon, a hotel, and miners' cabins frozen mid-decline. A visitor center, interpretive signs, and self-guided trails let you walk the streets, and two of the cabins are rentable in winter when the only way in is by ski or snowmobile. From the Butte side you reach it via the Drummond or Bearmouth exit and a steep 11-mile climb up Bear Gulch Road.
The story
High in the Garnet Range at 6,000 feet, Garnet wasn't built to last. When Sam Ritchey struck rich gold ore at the Nancy Hanks Mine in 1895, a rough boomtown sprang up practically overnight at the head of First Chance Gulch. By 1898, a thousand people were crammed into town, supported by four hotels, a doctor's office, a butcher shop, and 13 saloons. Because miners assumed the gold would run dry within a few years, they built fast without stone foundations—framing cabins directly on dirt with whatever pine timber they could fell.
When the easy gold ran out and a 1912 fire destroyed half the commercial district, most residents packed up. A few held out for decades—including saloon owner Marion Dahl, who lived on site until her death in the late 1940s and reportedly kept looters away from her porch with a rifle. Today, the Bureau of Land Management maintains over thirty original buildings in a state of frozen decay. You can walk right through Kelly's Saloon and climb the creaky stairs of the multi-story Wells Hotel without glass barriers or costumed docents breathing down your neck.
If you want the real secret, don't go in July. Come winter, when snow buries Bear Gulch Road, Garnet shuts out the casual summer drivers entirely. Between December and April, the town is reachable only via an 11-mile trek on cross-country skis, snowshoes, or snowmobiles. Win the competitive BLM winter cabin lottery held each fall, and you can spend the night in the primitive Dahl or McDonald cabin—no electricity, no plumbing, just a wood stove, propane light, and the quiet creak of a century-old ghost town at midnight.
What it's like
Expect a steep, narrow, bone-rattling 11-mile climb up gravel-strewn Bear Gulch Road that will test your shocks and rule out any trailers or RVs. Once you pay the $3 entry fee, you're free to roam dirt paths and step straight into uninsulated cabins stocked with rusty iron beds and wood stoves. There's zero cell service, chattering mountain winds even in midsummer, and basic pit toilets near the parking area. Local tip: get there early on a weekday morning if you want to explore the upper floors of the Wells Hotel without tripping over other travelers.
The move: Take the climbing gravel road up to the abandoned town and self-tour the thirty-plus weathered buildings and saloon.
📍 Before you go Open daily 9:30am-4:30pm; $3/person fee; access road is steep gravel, vehicle access ~May 1-Dec 15 snow permitting, winter is ski/snowmobile only.
- 📍 Garnet (near Drummond), MT
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Garnet Range Rd via Bear Gulch, off old US-10, near Drummond, MT
Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.
⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.
Pair it with
- Granite Ghost Town State Park — Pair Garnet's wooden gold-mining remnants with another classic boomtown collapse—the silver ruins perched high above nearby Philipsburg.
- Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild — Combine Garnet’s weathered 1890s log cabins with contemporary, forest-embedded art installations tucked into the pine woods near Lincoln.
- Old Butte Historical Adventures - City Underground Tour — Follow your above-ground walk through Garnet’s empty streets with a descent beneath Uptown Butte into a hidden Prohibition-era speakeasy.
- Headframe Spirits Tasting Room — After walking through the shell of Garnet's historic Kelly's Saloon, head into Butte for a proper craft spirit at Headframe's tasting room.
Good to know
How do I get to Garnet Ghost Town from Butte?
Drive west on Interstate 90 to the Drummond or Bearmouth exit, turn onto old U.S. 10, and take Bear Gulch Road up an 11-mile steep gravel climb into the Garnet Range.
Can I drive my car to Garnet all year?
No. Vehicle access is generally limited to May 1 through December 15, snow permitting. During winter, the road is closed to wheeled traffic, making access ski, snowshoe, or snowmobile only.
How much is admission and when is Garnet open?
Admission is $3 per person. Visitor center hours are listed as 9:30 am to 4:30 pm daily, though you should confirm hours before driving up.
How do the winter cabin rentals work?
From December 1 to April 30, the BLM rents out two primitive historic cabins (the Dahl and McDonald cabins) with wood heat and propane lights. Reservations are awarded via a fall lottery system with an application deadline on the first Friday in November.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: blm.gov · Official site · Wikipedia · Reddit
last checked: 2026-06-24