Garnet Back Country Byway & Ghost Town near Missoula, Montana | Trail Guide

MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0040

Garnet Back Country Byway

Garnet Range Road · Garnet Ghost Town · Highway 200 east of Missoula, Montana

2/10AGF Difficulty · Easy

10–12 MIFrom Highway 200 (BLM: 12-mi byway; 10 mi in directions)

TOWNSITE FEE$10 per person 16+ at the townsite; byway no fee (BLM)

BLMMissoula Field Office

WINTER CLOSURE TO WHEELED VEHICLES IS COMING, AND SOURCES DISAGREE ON THE DATES. BLM: "Winter access from either direction is only by snowmobile, snow shoes, or cross-country skis." The wheeled-closure dates conflict: Recreation.gov says roads are closed to wheeled vehicles "from January to May"; Visit Montana (state tourism, secondary) says Jan. 1–March 31; the Garnet Preservation Association (nonprofit co-manager) allows wheeled vehicles May 1–Dec. 15, depending on snow; the National Conservation Lands Foundation (nonprofit) says Jan. 1–April 30; and FHWA says wheeled access runs about May–December. Snow can stop wheeled travel before any of these dates. Call the BLM Missoula Field Office (406-329-3914) for the current dates. Use the Highway 200 side. The Bear Gulch approach from I-90 "should only be attempted by high-clearance vehicles with 4-wheel drive" (Recreation.gov); BLM calls it "steep, narrow and rough," "not recommended for trailers or RVs," and a one-lane road with no turnouts. RVs, travel trailers, low-clearance and oversized vehicles should use only the Garnet Range Road off Highway 200 (Recreation.gov). This guide's rating covers the Highway 200 side only. The visitor center is open late May through September (BLM), so it is likely closed now: expect no staff or services, and verify whether buildings are open. The $10 townsite fee applies; the byway itself has no fee (BLM). Leave all artifacts in place. The National Conservation Lands Foundation (nonprofit) says it is illegal to remove historic artifacts older than 50 years from public lands, and Southwest Montana tourism (secondary) lists no artifact removal, metal detecting or digging; AGF has not found BLM's own wording. One Garnet building is privately owned and there are mining claims in the area (Southwest Montana tourism, secondary; not confirmed by BLM): do not trespass. Read Know Before You Go.

AGF HAS NOT RUN THIS ROUTE. This guide is built from official sources (BLM, Recreation.gov and FHWA) plus clearly labeled secondary sources. No AGF field visit is behind it, and the 2/10 rating comes from those sources, not from an AGF drive.

WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Highway 200 to Garnet Ghost Town

The 12-mile BLM Garnet Back Country Byway on the Garnet Range Road, from Highway 200 south to Garnet Ghost Town, climbing about 2,000 feet (BLM). FHWA describes the road as 3.7 miles paved and 6.4 miles gravel, plus short connectors. BLM says the Highway 200 entrance is a two-lane road that "can be rough in spots."

NOT INCLUDED: the Bear Gulch approach from I-90 (high-clearance 4WD only; excluded from the rating), winter over-snow trails, private property and mining claims, and the inside of historic buildings.

WHY 2/10

Easy · Rough in Spots

AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. The Highway 200-side byway is a two-lane road that can be rough in spots (BLM), with no documented technical obstacle. "All access roads can be rough and are minimally maintained" (Recreation.gov). The steeper, narrow, one-lane Bear Gulch approach is a separate route and is not part of this rating. Snow ends wheeled access in winter.

Rock

1/5

Mud

2/5

Water

0/5

Exposure

2/5

Snow

5/5

Pinstriping

1/5

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

ROUTE & MAP

Getting There

Preferred (BLM): from Missoula, drive about 30 miles east on MT-200 and turn south between mile markers 22 and 23 onto the Garnet Range Road. Follow signs about 10 miles to Garnet (BLM; the byway itself is listed as 12 miles). The main parking lot is at the top of a hill just outside town, with two accessible spaces in town (BLM, 2025). Alternate, high-clearance 4WD only (Recreation.gov): from I-90, take the Drummond or Bearmouth exit, follow old US-10 to Bear Gulch Road, and follow signs up Bear Gulch for 11 miles to Garnet (BLM). Not for trailers or RVs.

LOADING MAP…

BLM Garnet Ghost Town →Recreation.gov site pass →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks the Garnet townsite (AGF record; not checked against an official coordinate). It is the destination, not the Highway 200 turnoff. No downloadable track is published: a candidate track from BLM road data has not been finished or checked.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4: Yes
High clearance: No (Highway 200 side); I-90 side: high-clearance 4WD only
Tires: Stock
Rear locker: No
Front locker: No
Winch: No
Full-size: Yes on the Highway 200 side; not via Bear Gulch
Body damage: Low risk

On the Highway 200 side, passenger cars, stock SUVs and stock 4x4s suit normal dry conditions (AGF reading of BLM). Do not take trailers, RVs, low-clearance or oversized vehicles up Bear Gulch (Recreation.gov). Carry a full-size spare, basic recovery gear, water and offline maps.

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season: Wheeled roughly May–December, snow permitting (FHWA); winter dates conflict (verify)
Visitor center: Late May–September, 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (BLM; the Garnet Preservation Association lists different hours); likely closed now
Typical trip: 1–2 hours driving plus 2–4 hours in Garnet (AGF estimate)
Fee: Townsite: $10 per person 16+, under 16 free; byway: no fee (BLM). Pass does not guarantee parking
Trailers: Highway 200 side only; never Bear Gulch
Camping: Townsite is day use (AGF record); nearby BLM options: verify

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).
Dogs are allowed on site but not inside the historic buildings (Recreation.gov).
FHWA plans a Garnet roads rehabilitation (chip seal and resurfacing of the Garnet Range Road and connectors), with construction tentatively in summer and fall 2027. No 2026 impacts are listed.
Fire can close the site: BLM closed Garnet and nearby lands for the Anderson Hill Fire in July 2021 (historical). No 2026 fire restriction was found; verify.
Winter: BLM rents cabins December–April, and more than 80 miles of winter trails start nearby; the Highway 200 winter trailhead can take trailers, and Bear Gulch parking is limited (BLM).

SOURCES

Sources & Review

BLM: Garnet Ghost Town (Hwy 200 MM 22–23, 10 mi to Garnet; Bear Gulch steep, narrow, rough, not for trailers or RVs; winter snowmobile/snowshoe/ski only; $10 fee; visitor center late May–Sept.; 406-329-3914)
BLM: Garnet Back Country Byway (12 mi, climbs 2,000 ft; no fee; Missoula FO)
BLM: Garnet Winter Trails (winter trailhead fits trailers; Bear Gulch parking limited)
Recreation.gov: Garnet Ghost Town day use pass (wheeled closure "January to May"; I-90 access high-clearance 4WD only; RVs and trailers Hwy 200 only; dogs not in buildings)
FHWA: Garnet Ghost Town Roads Rehabilitation Project (road mileages; wheeled about May–Dec.; construction tentatively summer/fall 2027)
BLM blog: Recreation for all (July 25, 2025) (Bear Gulch one-lane, no turnouts; Hwy 200 entrance rough in spots; parking outside town)
BLM press release: Garnet closed due to wildfire (2021) (historical)
Visit Montana: Garnet Back Country Byway (secondary (state tourism); closed Jan. 1–Mar. 31 except over-snow (conflicts))
Garnet Preservation Association: About (nonprofit co-manager; wheeled May 1–Dec. 15, snow permitting (conflicts))
National Conservation Lands Foundation: Five Spooky National Conservation Lands (nonprofit; artifact-removal statement; closed Jan. 1–Apr. 30 (conflicts))
Southwest Montana: Garnet Ghost Town (secondary (regional tourism); no artifact removal, metal detecting or digging; one privately owned building)
Montana FWP: Hunting seasons (2026 general deer/elk Oct. 24–Nov. 29)

Last reviewed Oct. 8, 2026. No closure was found, but the visitor center season has ended and the winter wheeled closure dates conflict across sources. 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.