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MONTANA SCENIC BYWAY GUIDE · MT-0038

Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway

Forest Service Highway 73 · Wise River to County Highway 278 near Polaris · Beaverhead County, Montana
1/10AGF Difficulty · Easy
~49 MIPoint to point (Recreation.gov)
WINTER CLOSURECentral section to vehicles, Dec. 1–May 15 in 2025–26 (Beaverhead County); 2026–27: verify
USFS · COUNTYBeaverhead-Deerlodge NF · Beaverhead County
THE BYWAY RUNS THROUGH THE 2026 SAND CREEK AND BOBCAT LAKES FIRE AREA, AND ITS REOPENING IS CONFIRMED ONLY BY NEWS. The lightning-caused Sand Creek and Bobcat Lakes fires started July 31 and Aug. 1, 2026, and the byway was closed during them (NBC Montana; Daily Montanan; news). Southwestern Montana News (Sept. 29, 2026, secondary news) reported that Beaverhead County lifted the byway closure and the Forest Service rescinded its area closure effective 6 a.m. Sept. 29. AGF found no .gov notice confirming the reopening: verify. Burn-area hazards: officials warn of "unstable dead trees, falling logs, loose rocks and hidden burned-out stump holes," ash and needles can make roads slippery, and burned areas "can be particularly susceptible to flash flooding and debris flows, especially during periods of heavy rainfall" (Southwestern Montana News, secondary). Steel-Fox Road (FSR 2420), a side road, was still closed as of Sept. 29, 2026 because firefighters and heavy equipment were working in the area (same report). Winter closure: Beaverhead County closes the byway to vehicles between Elkhorn Hot Springs and Pettengill Campground; last winter's closure ran Dec. 1, 2025–May 15, 2026 (Beaverhead County). The 2026–27 notice had not been published as of Oct. 8, 2026; expect Dec. 1 (verify), and snow can make the high section impassable before then. During the closure the route is a snowmobile and ski trail (Visit Montana, secondary): do not drive past the closure. The Elkhorn Mine and Mill area near Coolidge, including FS Road 2465A, is closed: "The mill site is unstable with heavy metals in the soil," and there is falling rock at the portal entrance (USFS). Its order page shows an end date of Dec. 31, 2025, but the alerts list shows a closure from Jan. 1, 2026 (Order 01020325-6): treat it as closed and verify. "There is no cell phone service in the area" (USFS). FS campground pages still showed Pettengill and Price Creek "Closed due to Sand Creek and Bobcat Lakes Fires" as of Oct. 8, 2026; do not count on camping. Check the current MVUM and land-manager rules before you go: official closures, posted signs and private property override this guide. Beaverhead County opens and closes the byway; call the Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF (406-683-3900) and Beaverhead County (Road Department; phone: verify) before you go, and read Know Before You Go.
AGF HAS NOT RUN THIS ROUTE. This guide is built from official sources (Forest Service, 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

Wise River to County Highway 278

The signed Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, about 49 miles over Forest Service Highway 73 from Wise River south to County Highway 278, 7 miles south of Polaris (Recreation.gov). The 26 miles from Wise River to Crystal Park (about 7,800 ft) are paved; from Price Creek to the valley floor it is "a lane and a half wide gravelled and dirt surfaced road" (Recreation.gov). Visit Montana (secondary) gives a driving time of about 1.5 hours.

NOT INCLUDED: side roads such as FS 2406, Steel-Fox Road (FSR 2420, closed per news), the Elkhorn Mine and Mill area and FS Road 2465A (closed), Coolidge, lakes and trailheads, and the winter snowmobile route. Side roads do not inherit the 1/10 rating.
WHY 1/10

Easy · Paved, Then Gravel

AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. The byway has no meaningful unavoidable 4x4 obstacle when open and dry (AGF record). The northern 26 miles are paved; the south section is a narrow lane-and-a-half gravel and dirt road (Recreation.gov) on steep forested hillsides (AGF record). Snow, mud, washboard and burn-area debris are condition changes, not part of the rating.

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

From the north (USFS): the byway leaves MT-43 at Wise River and heads south on FS Highway 73; Pettengill Campground is about 10 miles south of the junction. The road climbs the Wise River valley 26 miles to Crystal Park (Recreation.gov). It then descends past Price Creek to the Grasshopper Creek valley, passes near Elkhorn Hot Springs and Maverick Mountain, and ends at County Highway 278 (Recreation.gov). From Dillon (USFS): take I-15 south 3 miles to the Highway 278 exit, go west 22 miles, then north on Byway Road 73. Price Creek Campground is about 16 miles north (then 0.25 mile on FS 2406), and Crystal Park about 17 miles north. The Forest Service and Visit Montana put the north end at MT-43; Recreation.gov names Montana Highway 484: verify.

LOADING MAP…
Beaverhead-Deerlodge alerts →Recreation.gov byway page →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks the Crystal Park area near the byway's high point, about half a mile from the Forest Service Crystal Park coordinate (AGF pin check). It is not either end of the byway. No downloadable track is published: FS Highway 73 is missing from the public road datasets AGF checked, and no track has been built.

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, stock SUVs and stock 4x4s suit the byway when it is open and dry (AGF record). Use extra caution on the narrower gravel and dirt southern section, blind curves, limited shoulders and busy pullouts. Campground trailer limits differ: Pettengill recommends a maximum of 24 ft and Price Creek allows a maximum of 30 ft (USFS). Carry a full-size spare, basic recovery and roadside gear, water and offline maps.

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season
About May 15–Dec. 1, weather permitting; central section closed to vehicles Dec. 1–May 15 (Beaverhead County, 2025–26 notice); 2026–27 dates: verify
Typical trip
About 1.5 hours (Visit Montana, secondary); 1.5–2.5 hours without long stops (AGF record)
Camping
FS pages showed most byway campgrounds closed as of Oct. 8, 2026 (fire or end of season: verify); Little Joe showed open
Site seasons
Crystal Park mid-June to mid-October ($5 per person per day, ages 11 and older; showed open Oct. 8, 2026); Pettengill mid-May through September; Price Creek mid-June through September (USFS)
Trailers
Pettengill 24 ft max recommended; Price Creek 30 ft max (USFS)
Turnaround
Main byway and developed sites (AGF record); verify trailer fit
  • 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 applies Mar. 1–Dec. 1; Price Creek has bear-resistant food boxes (USFS).
  • Beaverhead County was under Stage 1 fire restrictions on Aug. 30, 2026 (NBC Montana, news); whether they have been lifted is unconfirmed. Check before any campfire.
  • Some of the closed campground flags may be end-of-season closures rather than fire closures: verify before planning to camp.
  • No separate Wise River Ranger District phone was found; the Supervisor's Office in Dillon (406-683-3900) also serves the Dillon Ranger District.
SOURCES

Sources & Review

Last reviewed Oct. 8, 2026. News reports the byway reopened Sept. 29 after the 2026 fires, but no .gov rescission was found, the burn area brings new hazards, and the central section closes to vehicles for winter (expected Dec. 1). 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.