Friday June 23rd 2017

It got down into the low 40s overnight, but was around 60 and climbing by 9AM. It was a beautiful clear day that topped out in the low 70s. Today was a check out the area day.

I drove the Pintler Veterans Memorial Scenic Highway. This is a loop from Drummond MT on Interstate 90 to Anaconda MT near Butte on Interstate 90. I didn’t keep track of how far I traveled, but I was gone for a little over three hours with several brief stops. The road goes out through the Flint Creek Valley by the historic mining town of Philipsburg MT then up into the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest.

View out the car window of the ranch land in the Flint Creek valley.

Road hugging the cliff as it climbs the mountain. The Flint Creek is below.

Road continues up the mountain through a narrow cut.

The creek valley is all ranch land. I saw hundreds of cattle, a few horses, lots of sheep and a some goats on the domesticated side of things. For wild animals, I had one deer cross the highway in front of me. The doe actually looked both ways before running across the road and jumping the fence on the far side. I spotted her far enough away that I had slowed way down from the 70mph speed limit by the time I was within a 100 feet from her.

The road follows the creek up into the mountains and Georgetown Lake and Silver Lake, before gradually winding its way down into the large community of Anaconda MT. This is another town that owes its existence to the mining industry. It was the site of a major smelting works that was finally closed down around 1980. Followed by a period of cleanup lead by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Georgetown Lake with the Anaconda Range in the background. The Anaconda Range makes up the Continental Divide in this area.

I enjoyed the drive on the loop road. In some ways it is a microcosm of Montana. The drive includes ranch land, mountains, mountain lakes, and plenty of mining history. Philipsburg deserves a dedicated visit for people interested in historic towns; today I wasn’t. At the right time of day, I think there would be more wildlife to view along the scenic loop as well.

When I got back to the RV park this afternoon, my rig was one of two rigs in the park. By seven this evening, the park was almost full just like last night. A clear indicator that this park catches many travelers going between Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks.