Entry No. 52 — the Helena file — filed under: ruins
Old Copper Creek Mine
Tucked away near the headwaters of Copper Creek at the base of Red Mountain, the Old Copper Creek Mine (also known as the Copper Camp or Rainy Day Mine) is a relic of Montana's late 19th-century copper rush. Intermittent operations at the site extracted copper, gold, and silver until they permanently ceased around 1971. Today, the area is characterized by overgrown mining roads, old waste rock piles, and sealed adits surrounded by the scenic wilderness of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
The story
Follow Forest Service Road 330 up toward the headwaters of Copper Creek at the base of Red Mountain, and you’ll hit the ground scars of what was once known as the Copper Camp or the Rainy Day Mine. Montana’s late 19th-century mining rush pushed prospectors into almost every timbered draw in Lewis and Clark County, chasing veins of copper, gold, and silver. Miners picked at this site intermittently for nearly a century before operations permanently shut down around 1971.
What is left isn't a scrubbed-clean historic park; it’s industrial wreckage being quietly digested by the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Overgrown haul roads climb past sealed portal entries, while waste rock piles settle into the floodplain of Copper Creek's mountain tributaries. Lincoln's surrounding timber was historically logged to supply structural shafts deep under Butte—here, the mountain is slowly reclaiming the remnants of its own local copper strike.
What it's like
Reaching the area means following Copper Creek Road off Highway 200 near Lincoln up toward Red Mountain. The atmosphere is quiet backcountry isolation—no docents or fences, just rust-colored tailings, old roadbeds, and sealed adits hidden among the trees. Keep your boots on public trail corridors, leave the waste piles alone, and do not attempt to enter any closed shafts or collapsing structures. Pack bear spray, drive a vehicle with decent clearance, and check forest access conditions before heading out.
The move: Hike or drive up the scenic Copper Creek Road to the base of Red Mountain, where you can photograph the historic mining scars and enjoy a quiet picnic near the headwaters of Copper Creek.
📍 Before you go Located on public land within the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, the mine ruins can be legally viewed from nearby trails, but entering any abandoned shafts or structures is extremely dangerous and strictly off-limits.
- 📍 Lincoln
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Low-key
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Copper Creek Rd, Lincoln, MT 59639, USA
Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current access before you go.
Pair it with
- Blackfoot Pathways: Sculpture in the Wild — Trade raw 19th-century mining scars for intentional modern sculpture integrated into the pine forest just nine miles down the road in Lincoln.
- Garnet Ghost Town — Follow your interest in backcountry mining history to one of Montana's most intact, preserved 1890s boomtown sites.
- Marysville House (in Marysville ghost town) — Swap wilderness tailings piles for a steak inside a relocated 1800s railroad depot turned local saloon in another historic mining outpost.
Good to know
Can you go inside the mine shafts or structures?
No. Entering any abandoned mine shafts, adits, or ruins is strictly off-limits and extremely dangerous due to bad air, rotten timbering, and collapse risks.
What metals were mined at Old Copper Creek Mine?
Intermittent mining at the site extracted copper, gold, and silver from the late 19th century until operations ceased around 1971.
Where is the mine site located?
It sits on public land within the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest along Copper Creek Road (FS-330) near the base of Red Mountain, outside Lincoln, Montana.
Is there an entrance fee to visit?
No. The ruins sit on public National Forest land and can be legally viewed from nearby roads and public trails.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: onxmaps.com · visitmt.com · mbmg.mtech.edu · umt.edu
last checked: 2026-07-20