A road is designated as a "byway" by government agencies or private organizations. A road may be named as a byway in many byway programs. These may include its state byway program, the National Park Service,There are many byway programs, including the National Park Service, the U.S. Forest Service, and more. Contact each Agency for further details about their byway programs. There are many scenic and recreational opportunities near scenic byways. Take time to take a hike, have a picnic, or explore a nature trail.
Winter Note: Many byways are not plowed in winter. Check with the National Forest where you will be traveling for road conditions. And keep in mind, byways that are not plowed often provide excellent winter opportunities on snow mobiles or cross country skis. There are about 69,000 miles of public highways and roads in Montana and 147,000 square miles of terrain to explore!
Garnet Back Country Byway
- Length: 12.0 miles / 19.3 km
- Time to Allow: 45 minutes
- Phone: 406-329-3914
A 12 mile drive trip through mountainous landscape that gives/provides access to year-round outdoor adventures. This road lies in the midst of the mountainous wilderness punctuated by Garnet ghost town, a mining boom-town where old miners weren’t successful back in the day. Picnic, cross-country ski, snowshoe, horseback ride, hike, snowmobile, camp, and or stop by the ghost town visitor center. The paved part of the road runs through the Blackfoot River Valley, the Swan Range, the Mission Mountains, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The byway begins 30 miles east of Missoula where the Garnet Range Road leaves MT Highway 200. From there the route follows the Garnet Range Road southwest past Coloma and Garnet ghost towns. The route ends at the junction with the BLM service road at Elk Creek.
The map here shows two approaches to Garnet Ghost Town. The southern approach should only be taken by vehicles that can do some off-roading (trucks, anything w/4x4 or AWD, a decent clearance, etc.), and is also only suggested for anybody familiar with driving on un-maintained, dirt roads. The northern approach is paved most of the way, a wide road, and still gorgeous.
Directions:
From Missoula, take MT State Highway 200, about 30 miles east of Missoula, turn south between mile markers 22 and 23. From Interstate 90, take either the Drummond or Bearmouth exit and follow old U.S. 10 to the Bear Gulch Road. Follow signs up Bear Gulch for 11 miles to Garnet. Access from Highway 200 is an easier drive and doesn't usually require 4-wheel drive. Access from I-90 requires a robust vehicle with 4-wheel drive.
Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway
- Length: 67.0 miles / 107.8 km
- Time to Allow: 2 hours
- Phone: 406-293-6211
Created in 1992, the Lake Koocanusa route became the Northern Region's 5th scenic byway. The road follows the Kootenai River and Lake Koocanusa via MT Highway No. 37, which connects Libby and Eureka.
Lake Koocanusa was formed behind Libby Dam and was completed in 1974. Today it has a Visitors Center, that includes a side loop (Forest Development Road No. 228) that travels around the west side of the lake (closed in winter). The Kootenai River and Lake Koocanusa cut a narrow fjord-like gorge between the Purcell Mountains and the Salish Mountains where bighorn sheep can be seen frequently. Koocanusa has one of the best land-locked salmon fisheries in the northwest, and Kootenai River is considered a blue-ribbon trout stream with trophy-size rainbow trout.
Directions:
To reach the Lake Koocanusa Scenic Byway (State MT Highway 37), take either U.S. Highway 2 to Libby or U.S. Highway 93 to Eureka.
St. Regis - Paradise Scenic Byway
- Length: 30.0 miles / 48.3 km
- Time to Allow: about 1 hour
- Phone: 406-822-4233
This stretch shows varying terrain from spacious, rolling flats to steep canyon walls where it winds through the Coeur d'Alene Mountains. An alternate route for travelers on Interstate 90, known as the "shortcut to Glacier National Park", heads north towards Sanders County and on toward Flathead Lake. The stretch of road itself only runs 30 miles north from St. Regis though.
Skalkaho Highway
- Length: 65 miles / 104.6 km
- Time to Allow: 2 hours
The additional node on the map (B -> C) is an alternate addition to the drive over Skalkaho Pass. This drive will take you along Rock Creek, and drop you off in Clinton, a short drive east of Missoula via I-90. This last section is a narrow, dirt road that skirts the creek for most of the drive. While it is beautiful, it also boasts some sections of road that are too narrow for two vehicles to be side-by-side. A worthwhile drive none-the-less.
Going-to-the-Sun Highway
- Length: 50 miles / 80.5 km
- Time to Allow: 2 hours
Vehicle limitations - 21 feet long, 8 feet wide including mirrors. Moonlight bicycle rides on Going-to-the-Sun-Road are popular. On a clear night with a full moon the scenery glows. Start heading up the hill a couple of hours before sundown -- which can be late in the summer -- and coast down by the light of the silvery moon. Besides helmets, reflectors and a headlamp are required after nightfall. Bikes are restricted in the most hazardous sections of the Going-to-the-Sun Road from 11:00am to 4:00pm from June 15 to Labor Day. The two-mile long McDonald Creek Bike Path, near the Apgar Visitor Center, is suitable for a short, peaceful pedal. Children especially enjoy it, and is a great way to get them out in the woods in an active way exploring the area.
