Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns near Melrose, Montana | Trail Guide

MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0035

Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns

Trapper Creek Road and Forest Road 187 · Melrose to the kilns via Glendale · Pioneer Mountains, Montana

1/10AGF Difficulty · Easy · estimate, not driven by AGF

~22.6 MIRound trip, approximate (AGF research); verify by odometer

PRIVATE LANDMelrose through Glendale: stay on the road

USFS · COUNTYWisdom Ranger District · Beaverhead County

THE ROAD CROSSES PRIVATE LAND FROM MELROSE THROUGH GLENDALE, AND THE KILNS ARE A PROTECTED HISTORIC SITE. Recreation.gov: "Most of the area around Glendale is privately owned." The road crosses land that is not National Forest from Melrose through the Glendale area, much of it private (Recreation.gov; Forest Service ownership data shows non-FS land near Glendale): stay on the road. The Glendale townsite, cemetery and smelter ruins are not public access; AGF found no public route to them. Do not visit them without landowner permission. Who holds the public right-of-way on about 1 mile near Glendale, between the end of the county Trapper Creek Road record and National Forest land, is unconfirmed: verify with the Wisdom Ranger District or Beaverhead County. The kilns are a National Register historic district on National Forest land (NRHP). Federal rule 36 CFR 261.9 prohibits "Digging in, excavating, disturbing, injuring, destroying, or in any way damaging" historic resources, and "Removing" them. Do not climb on or enter the kilns: the NRHP documents collapsed kilns and holes. The NRHP documents a Forest Service screen cage inside one kiln "for visitors to inspect the interior"; use it rather than entering any kiln (AGF advice). AGF found no posted rule text: obey signs at the kilns. No Motor Vehicle Use Map covers the Pioneer Mountains (Beaverhead-Deerlodge travel maps page), and FR 187's maintenance level and vehicle class were not found: verify. Seasonal: no fixed closure is published. Expect snow, mud and possible over-snow-only travel from about December to April; Recreation.gov says snowmobiles, skis or snowshoes may be necessary December–April in the Canyon Creek Cabin area. Recreation.gov also says "Four-wheel drive or high clearance vehicles are required to access the cabin," which is reached by FR 187 and then FR 7401 beyond the kilns; it does not say which segment needs it: verify with the Wisdom Ranger District. The campground beyond the kilns is open mid-June through September (USFS). Do not continue past the kilns over Vipond Park and Quartz Hill in a low-clearance vehicle or with a trailer: onX (third party) describes a steep, narrow single-lane shelf road with few turnouts. It is not part of this guide or its rating. 2026 fire: the Bobcat Lakes and Sand Creek fire closures were lifted effective 6 a.m. Sept. 29, 2026, except Steel-Fox Road (FSR 2420) and Grasshopper Campground, which are not on this route (Southwestern Montana News, Sept. 29; KGVO, Oct. 7; secondary news). The order was no longer on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge alerts page on Oct. 9, 2026; its rescission text was not read: verify. Check the current MVUM and land-manager rules before you go: official closures, posted signs and private property override this guide. Call the Wisdom Ranger District (406-689-3243) before you go, and read Know Before You Go.

AGF HAS NOT RUN THIS ROUTE. This guide is built from official sources (Forest Service, National Register, Recreation.gov and Beaverhead County) plus clearly labeled secondary sources. No AGF field visit is behind it, and the 1/10 rating comes from those sources, not from an AGF drive.

WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Melrose to the Kilns

From I-15 at Melrose, west on county-maintained Trapper Creek Road, continuing as Forest Road 187 through the Glendale area to the Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns, and back the same way. About 11.3 miles one way (AGF research). The Forest Service puts the FR 7401 turnoff beyond the kilns about 13 miles from Melrose, which fits; the NRHP's 10 + 5 miles (15) conflicts: verify by odometer. The NRHP inventory lists 23 kilns.

NOT INCLUDED: the Vipond Park / Quartz Hill shelf road beyond the kilns, FR 188, FR 7401 and Canyon Creek Campground beyond the kilns, the Glendale townsite, cemetery and smelter ruins (not public access), and the kiln interiors.

WHY 1/10

Easy · Graveled Forest Road

AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. Route descriptions agree on a maintained gravel road with no steep, narrow, high-clearance or technical requirement in normal conditions (AGF research), and the NRHP notes the road was "widened and graveled." The Forest Service maintenance level for FR 187 is not published: verify. Washboard, mud, snow, livestock and fire are condition changes, not part of the rating.

Rock

0/5

Mud

1/5

Water

0/5

Exposure

1/5

Snow

3/5

Pinstriping

0/5

Snow, mud, runoff, deadfall and fire are condition changes, not part of the base rating.

ROUTE & MAP

Getting There

From I-15, take the Melrose exit (Exit 93, per Southwest Montana, regional tourism, secondary) and head west on Trapper Creek Road, which Beaverhead County maintains (county road reports). About 5 miles (state road GIS; Southwest Montana, secondary; AGF research: 5.6) bring you to the Glendale area. Continue on FR 187, locally Canyon Creek Road. At the FR 188 junction, stay right on FR 187 and continue to the kilns; the log chute and loading platform are directly uphill to the north (NRHP). The kilns are about 5.7 miles past Glendale (AGF research). Where county jurisdiction ends and FR 187 begins is unconfirmed: verify.

LOADING MAP…

Beaverhead-Deerlodge alerts →Canyon Creek Campground (FS) →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks the kilns (AGF record coordinate). It falls inside the NRHP district boundary (AGF's conversion of the NRHP UTM references) and on Forest Service land (FS ownership data). It is not the Canyon Creek Campground, about 4.5 miles away. No downloadable track is published.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4: Yes
High clearance: No
Tires: Stock
Rear locker: No
Front locker: No
Winch: No
Full-size: Yes
Body damage: Low risk

Passenger cars, SUVs and full-size trucks are normally suitable on the direct Melrose–kilns route (AGF research). Carry a full-size spare and basic roadside supplies: the site is remote. Canyon Creek Campground trailers "should not exceed 14 feet" (USFS). The Vipond / Quartz Hill continuation is excluded and is not for trailers or low-clearance vehicles.

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season: No fixed closure published; snow and mud typical about December–April (verify)
Typical trip: 2–4 hours including stops (AGF research)
Camping: Canyon Creek Campground beyond the kilns: mid-June–September, weather dependent, no potable water (USFS); check status after September
Trailer parking: Limited; sizable kiln parking area (AGF research); verify
Turnaround: Yes (AGF research)

Hunting season: Montana's general deer and elk season runs Oct. 24–Nov. 29, 2026 (FWP). Expect hunters, camps and parked vehicles; wear blaze orange outside the vehicle. Archery season runs to Oct. 18. A youth deer hunt runs Oct. 15–16 (FWP).
Bear country: Beaverhead-Deerlodge food storage order 02-00-22-02 applies Mar. 1–Dec. 1.
No Beaverhead-Deerlodge alert named Canyon Creek, Glendale, Melrose or FR 187 on Oct. 9, 2026 (fire danger Moderate). Recheck before you go and before any campfire.
Pack out all trash.
Contacts: Wisdom Ranger District 406-689-3243; Beaverhead-Deerlodge Supervisor's Office, Dillon 406-683-3900. Wise River is a work center with no visitor services (USFS).

SOURCES

Sources & Review

NRHP nomination: Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns (24BE804) (federal; district boundary, B-D NF ownership, FR 187/188 directions, kiln condition, viewing screens; 23 kilns; prepared 2005)
NPGallery: NRIS 05000511 (approx. 5 mi NW of Glendale on Forest Rd. 187)
eCFR: 36 CFR 261.9 (damage or removal of historic resources prohibited)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: Canyon Creek Campground (FR 187 about 13 mi from Melrose, then FR 7401; mid-June–September; trailers 14 ft max; Wisdom RD)
Recreation.gov: Canyon Creek Cabin ("Most of the area around Glendale is privately owned"; over-snow travel Dec.–Apr.)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: Travel management maps (MVUMs only for the Gravelly and Tobacco Root ranges; none for the Pioneers)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF alerts (checked Oct. 9, 2026; no Canyon Creek alert; fire order no longer listed; food storage order)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: Offices (Wisdom RD 406-689-3243; Wise River work center, no visitor services)
FS EDW BasicOwnership (FS data, point queries Oct. 9, 2026; FS land at the kilns; non-FS land near Glendale)
Beaverhead County Commissioners minutes, Oct. 27, 2025 (county Road Dept bladed Trapper Creek)
Beaverhead County Commissioners minutes, May 11, 2026 ("Blade Trapper Cr.")
Montana State Library transportation framework, Public Roads layer (state GIS, not a legal-status record; Beaverhead County Trapper Creek Rd about 5 mi from Melrose)
Southwestern Montana News: Byway reopens (Sept. 29, 2026) (secondary news; closures lifted 6 a.m. Sept. 29; Steel-Fox Rd FSR 2420 remains closed)
KGVO: Pioneer Mountains fires largely contained (Oct. 7, 2026) (secondary news; all closures lifted except Grasshopper CG and Steel-Fox Road)
Southwest Montana: Glendale & Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns (secondary (regional tourism); Exit 93, Trapper Creek Road)
onX Offroad: Canyon Creek - Quartz Hill (third party; shelf-road continuation beyond the kilns; excluded)
Montana FWP: Hunting seasons (2026 deer/elk archery Sept. 5–Oct. 18; youth deer Oct. 15–16; general Oct. 24–Nov. 29)

Last reviewed Oct. 9, 2026. No closure is listed and the 2026 fire closures were lifted Sept. 29 for this area, but the road crosses private land through Glendale, the right-of-way near Glendale is unconfirmed, and no MVUM covers the Pioneers. AGF has not run this route.

AGF ratings describe normal, dry-condition difficulty. They do not mean a route is legal, open or passable today. Spot something out of date? Use the Contact page.