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Drummond, Montana

Garnet Ghost Town 4WD Trails

Riding AreaATVSxS / UTV4x4 / JeepTruck
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About

The Garnet Range 4WD trail system surrounds the BLM-managed Garnet Ghost Town in Granite and Powell counties of western Montana, approximately 30 miles east of Missoula in the forested uplands above the Blackfoot River valley, made famous to the wider world by Norman Maclean's novel and Robert Redford's 1992 film adaptation of A River Runs Through It. Garnet itself was a late-1800s gold and silver mining boomtown that peaked at roughly 1,000 residents in the 1890s before declining and eventually being preserved as one of Montana's best-preserved intact ghost towns, approximately 30 original wooden buildings still stand on the original town site. The surrounding BLM land hosts a network of historic mining roads and 4WD routes that give Garnet its OHV character: narrow shelf roads cut into the forested hillsides, connecting the town site with the surrounding mining claims and the abandoned settlements (Coloma, Bearmouth) that dotted the Garnet district during the boom. The terrain is mid-elevation Montana forest at 5,000 to 7,000 feet: lodgepole pine and Douglas fir on the ridges, aspen groves in the moister drainages, and the rocky mining-era road surfaces that require high-clearance 4WD rather than simply all-wheel drive. Full-size 4x4 Jeeps and trucks are the typical users; ATVs and UTVs also work on most routes. The BLM charges a modest fee at the Garnet Ghost Town interpretive site during the May-September operating season; the surrounding trail network is free public-land access. BLM Missoula Field Office (406-329-3914) handles current road status.

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Park details

Vehicle Types
ATV, SxS / UTV, 4x4 / Jeep, Truck
Access
Public land

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Rider reviews

What riders are saying

4.7· 1,186 reviews on Google
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  • Z
    Z Harris· 5 months ago

    This review is from when we visited in September 2025. They do close portions of the town in the winter time but I do know people still go up and visit in the winter time I think it depends on the weather. I had never been here before but I had read a little bit about it. There was an employee who is there during business hours. There are several buildings that you can walk through while they are there and then after they leave they lock those up. Several of the buildings have had new roofs put on them and you can tell that they are being maintained for historical purposes. It is a unique ghost town for the area It is maintained partially by the government so it has a little bit more money behind it. There's some nice history of the area. Sounds like this mining town was a little more family-oriented. It's humbling to see how small people's houses were back in the day. It was an easy tour to walk I would recommend using the paper guide as you walk around it helps fill in the story. I would visit again They did explain that there are a couple of cabins that are able to be rented during the winter time. Ther was not a lot of information there I imagine it's on a government website.

  • J
    Janet· a month ago

    Loved it. Has some picnic tables near parking lot incase you packed a lunch. Interesting to look through the old buildings takes about an hour if you take your time. Road up can be abit rough but early passable for all vehicles

  • C
    Carl Sisk· 2 months ago

    This historic site is well preserved and tells a great story. Once a year the historical society has a great one day event with a long list of fun events for all ages. Our extended family and their friends had a great enter and education day.

  • M
    Madeline Snively· a year ago

    Really nice place. Great history and nicely presented. Great staff. Worth the drive. ...nice cars and RVs highly not suggested to travel the road in. Gravel washboard and miles of it but super cool when you get there.

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Current conditions

98Go/ 100 conditions score

High today

65°F

Wind

5 kt

Gusts 7 kt

Rain chance

0%

Week ahead

Mon65°F0%
Tue67°F6%
Wed65°F2%
Thu76°F0%
Fri68°F40%
Sat56°F40%
Sun59°F11%

Forecast from Open-Meteo global models (NOAA & ECMWF).

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