The Road to Independence: An 1890s Gold Camp Above the Boulder River

Off-Road & Trails
Written by Aaron Thies

Montana • Absaroka Range • August 2020

The Road toIndependence

An 1890s gold camp at the top of the Boulder River, a rough Forest Service road and the best alpine meadows I’ve driven in Montana.

Tan Toyota FJ Cruiser with a steel bumper and amber lights in a muddy two-track below jagged peaks on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Water Crossings — 9,300 Feet — Gold Camp — Keep Your Wheels Where They Belong — Never Lift — Water Crossings — 9,300 Feet — Gold Camp —

A Ghost Town at the Top of the Boulder

South of Big Timber, the Main Boulder Road follows the Boulder River deep into the Absaroka Range. Where the good road ends, a rough Forest Service road keeps climbing to what’s left of Independence, a gold camp that peaked in the 1890s, and on up into open alpine meadows under jagged peaks.

We ran it the first weekend of August 2020 with a group of FJ Cruisers and Land Cruisers. Here’s the history, the road and what to expect.

Wooden Independence Area Trailhead kiosk reading Keep Your Wheels Where They Belong, Custer Gallatin National Forest on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Where the real road starts.
White-water cascade on the Boulder River below a wooden footbridge and forested hills on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
The Boulder River on the way in.

The History

Gold was found up here in the 1860s, but serious mining didn’t start until 1888, after a pack trail was cut in. Mines with names like the Poorman, Hidden Treasure, Daisy, King Solomon and Independence opened over the next few years, and the Independence Mine was running at full capacity by 1892.

At its peak, Independence had about 500 people, four saloons and two general stores. Then came the depression of 1893, the easy ore ran out and getting anything in or out was brutal. The Independence Mine closed for good in 1897, and the Hidden Treasure mill burned in 1904. According to Legends of America, the whole district produced roughly $120,000 in gold and silver between 1890 and 1905.

Today it’s a few tumbling cabins, rusted sheet metal and mining scraps scattered in the timber.

Collapsed timber cabin with rusted sheet-metal walls on a hillside above a forested valley on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
What’s left of the camp.
Rusted, collapsed cabin in the trees below a steep, rocky mountainside on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
A century of winters at nearly 8,000 feet.

The Road

Past the trailhead, the Independence Road (Forest Road 6639) gets little to no maintenance and has a lot of water crossings. RV Travel puts the old townsite about four miles past the trailhead at around 7,900 feet, and the mine about four miles beyond that at around 9,300 feet.

Vehicle. A midsize 4x4 with good clearance and a driver who’s done this before. Don’t believe anyone who tells you a high-clearance two-wheel-drive will make it.

Obstacles. Loose rock, wet ruts, water crossings and a few steep, rocky pitches. Nothing crazy, but it’s long and it doesn’t let up.

Tan Toyota FJ Cruiser with a steel bumper and lights climbing a rocky road through tall timber on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Climbing through the timber.
Tan Toyota FJ Cruiser on a narrow hillside road under dark storm clouds on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
The clouds built every afternoon.
Gray Toyota Land Cruiser with its front tire perched on a large rock on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
One of the rocky pitches.
View over a truck hood of an off-road trailer and SUV on a steep, rocky pitch in the trees on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Someone brought a trailer. Respect.

Up Top

Above the camp, the trees open up into wide alpine meadows with peaks all around, small lakes still holding snow and a muddy two-track winding through all of it. This is the payoff. Take your time up here.

Dirt two-track curving through a green alpine meadow below a rocky peak under a blue sky on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
The meadows above Independence.
White Toyota FJ Cruiser with a spare tire and a tan FJ Cruiser parked on a meadow road with peaks behind on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Two FJs, one view.
Still alpine lake reflecting rocky peaks and snowfields on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Snow still on the peaks in August.
Dog standing on a boulder in a clear alpine lake below a rocky ridge with snowfields on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Boone found the best rock in the lake.
Tan Toyota FJ Cruiser leading a line of trucks through a muddy meadow under storm clouds on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Afternoon storms meant mud.
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon standing on a boulder in a meadow with a rocky peak behind on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Boone, supervising.

Know Before You Go

Season. Mid-summer. Snow hangs on up high well into July.

Getting there. From Big Timber, head south toward McLeod on Montana Highway 298, then follow the Main Boulder Road up the river to the Independence Area trailhead. It’s a long gravel drive before the hard part starts.

Stay on the road. The trailhead sign says it: keep your wheels where they belong. Beyond the mine area, trails head into wilderness, which is closed to vehicles.

Self-sufficient. There’s no cell service for miles. Bring recovery gear, a spare and a plan.

Leave the ruins alone. The cabins are falling down on their own schedule. Look, take pictures and leave everything where it is.

Tan Toyota FJ Cruiser with a steel bumper and a white FJ Cruiser parked in a meadow under a clear blue sky on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Clear skies the next morning.
Rainbow arcing over pine trees and a meadow under a dark storm sky on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
The storm that cleared it out.

For more Montana trails with history, see driving through the Wickes Tunnel and Ringing Rocks. If you’re wondering about the dog, meet Boone.

Gold ran out in 1897. The views didn’t.

More From Independence

Line of FJ Cruisers on a muddy meadow road below a jagged peak on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Tan FJ Cruiser and white FJ Cruiser driving a meadow two-track below a rocky peak on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana
Clear water over colorful river rocks in the Boulder River with forested slopes behind on the Independence road above the Boulder River, Montana

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Aaron Thies
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