Driving Through the Wickes Tunnel: Montana's 1888 Railroad Tunnel

Sep 2

Montana • Wickes Tunnel • June 2020

Driving Througha Railroad Tunnel

The Wickes Tunnel: 6,145 feet of 1888 railroad bore in the Elkhorn Mountains, and you can drive it in summer.

Lights On — 6,145 Feet — Mind the Water — One Rig at a Time — Built 1888 — Never Lift — Lights On — 6,145 Feet — Mind the Water — One Rig at a Time —

A Tunnel You Can Drive

Between Helena and Boulder, up a wet two-track past the old mining town of Wickes, there’s a stone arch in the hillside with a pair of rotting wooden doors hanging open. Behind them is more than a mile of railroad tunnel, and in the summer you can drive straight through it.

We ran it in June 2020 in my tan FJ Cruiser, then camped and spent the next day up in the Elkhorn Mountains. Here’s the history, how to get there and what to expect inside.

View through a truck windshield up a green, brushy grade toward the stone portal of the Wickes tunnel at the Wickes railroad tunnel near Jefferson City, Montana — First look at the portal from the driver’s seat.

Red truck on a wet, puddled two-track climbing toward the Wickes tunnel under a cloudy sky at the Wickes railroad tunnel near Jefferson City, Montana — The approach is old railbed, and it holds water.

The History

The town. Silver was found near Wickes in 1869. Investors led by William W. Wickes bought in and platted the townsite in 1877, a smelter followed in 1887, and by 1893 the town had around 1,500 people. Then the silver market collapsed. The mine closed in 1896, a fire took out the business district in 1901, and Wickes slid into the quiet ghost town you drive through today.

The tunnel. The Montana Central Railway started boring through the ridge in 1887, with crews digging from both ends. The first train went through in October 1888. At 6,145 feet, it was the longest railroad tunnel in Montana when it was built. Big wooden doors on each portal were closed in winter to keep the snow out and opened for every train. The last train ran through in January 1972.

Those doors are still there. Barely.

Arched stone portal of the Wickes railroad tunnel with old red wooden doors hanging open and standing water on the floor at the Wickes railroad tunnel near Jefferson City, Montana — The doors that used to open for every train.

Tan Toyota FJ Cruiser with a rear tire bag parked on a rocky approach below the Wickes tunnel portal at the Wickes railroad tunnel near Jefferson City, Montana — Parked at the portal before going in.

Inside

It’s dark fast. The lining is arched concrete and stone, the floor is old railbed, and there’s standing water in long stretches. Turn on every light you have, go slow and keep your windows cracked so you can hear oncoming rigs. There’s room for one full-size truck at a time, so if you see lights coming, wait.

Interior of the Wickes railroad tunnel with an arched concrete lining, stone walls and a long stretch of standing water at the Wickes railroad tunnel near Jefferson City, Montana — Standing water most of the way.

Dashboard view of a driver’s hand on the wheel while driving through the lit, stone-lined Wickes tunnel at the Wickes railroad tunnel near Jefferson City, Montana — Over a mile of this.

Tan Toyota FJ Cruiser with amber lights and a steel bumper parked in puddles on the rocky Wickes tunnel approach at the Wickes railroad tunnel near Jefferson City, Montana — Out the other side, a little muddier.

How to Get There

From the Wickes side. Take I-15 to the Jefferson City exit, between Boulder and Helena. Follow Corbin Road to Wickes Road, go through the houses in Wickes and keep going up the forest road to the north portal. The route crosses private property, so stay on the road.

From the Boulder side. The south portal is reached from near Boulder on the frontage road and Amazon Road. You can run it as a loop: in one portal, out the other, back on the forest roads.

Vehicle. A high-clearance truck or an OHV. It’s an easy trail by Montana standards. The tunnel is the hard part, and only because it’s dark and wet.

Know Before You Go

Water. Expect up to about three feet on the Boulder end, deepest in spring and early summer. Big wooden beams can float in the deep pools. Walk it first if you’re not sure.

Winter. Ice columns form inside and the south end freezes over. In winter, it can’t be driven safely, if at all. Go in summer.

The south portal. The last stretch on the Boulder end has erosion damage. Look before you commit.

Private property. Wickes and Corbin still have residents. Drive through slowly, and leave what’s left of the old buildings alone.

Next Day: Up Into the Elkhorns

The tunnel sits on the edge of the Elkhorn Mountains, so we camped and went climbing the next day. The Elkhorns are also where you’ll find Elkhorn State Park, Montana’s smallest, which preserves Fraternity Hall and Gillian Hall in the old silver town of Elkhorn, about 18 miles of gravel from Boulder. If you’re already up there for the tunnel, it’s worth the detour.