The Long Way
Beaverhead County
A winding stream flows through a lush green valley surrounded by forests and mountains.
Plate I. Valley landscape along Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. From visitmt.com
A scenic landscape view of a winding river flowing through a lush green valley with purple wildflowers in the foreground and mountains in the distance.
Plate II. Wildflowers and stream along Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. From visitmt.com
A winding road curves through a landscape of sparse and fire-damaged trees.
Plate III. Paved road, Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. From southwesternmontananews.com
A river flows through a grassy valley beneath mountains and a cloudy sunset sky.
Plate IV. Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway. From southwestmt.com

Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

Wise River, Beaverhead County, Montana. Scenic highway.

Details

Map. Wise River, Beaverhead County, Montana. Larger map
Where
Wise River, Beaverhead County, MT. No street address stated. Directions
Season
officially closed from December 1 through May 15.
Getting there
The Scenic Byway starts at Montana State Highway 43 in the town of Wise River and travels south approximately 49 miles over Forest Service Highway 73 to County Highway 278.
Access
Reopened to the public after being closed for weeks due to the Sand Creek and Bobcat Lakes fires.
Phone
406-683-3900
Website
recreation.gov

On the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, you can travel the length of the Pioneer Mountain Range. Granite peaks topping 10,000 feet in elevation are to the east, and gentler, forested terrain stretches out to the west.

Notable Events

  1. 1873Mike Steel and F.W. Parish, prospecting the northern Pioneer Mountains, discovered silver-bearing ore and named their mine the Elkhorn. historynet.com
  2. 1903The Pattengail Dam, built in 1903 by Montana Power Co. on a tributary of the Wise River, stored 12,000 acre-feet of water in a reservoir more than two miles long. bozemandailychronicle.com
  3. 1919Allen built his own narrow gauge line, the Montana Southern Railway; given the tunnels and high trestles, crews did not finish it until 1919. historynet.com
  4. 1927Heavy snowmelt and swollen creeks led to the failure of the Pattengail Dam; the Wise River flooded the valley, causing at least four deaths and damaging miles of the railroad serving Elkhorn-Coolidge. bozemandailychronicle.com

People

  • William R. Allen, outgoing lieutenant governor of Montana who developed the Elkhorn district and ordered the road along the Wise River (1911).

Sources

  1. visitmt.com/listing/pioneer-mountains-scenic-byway-11885
  2. southwesternmontananews.com/post/pioneer-mountains-scenic-byway-reopens-as-sand-creek-and-bobcat-lakes-fires-near-full-containment
  3. recreation.gov/gateways/13808
  4. southwestmt.com/communities/wiseriver
  5. bozemandailychronicle.com/news/silver-mining-towns-1920s-history-being-resurrected-in-east-pioneer-mountains/article_a3bebb45-7679-5359-afff-dd6abb7bda27.html