---
id: "2136"
name: Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway
distance: "49"
duration: 1.5 hours
description: The Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway bisects the Pioneer Mountains in some of the most breathtaking scenery in Montana.  Along the way you may enjoy camping, hiking, fishing, the ghost town of Coolidge, and the remnants of the Elkhorn Mine.
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attractions:
  - url: https://backyardmontana.com/adventures/drive-down-the-pioneer-mountains-scenic-byway-heres-what-you-can-see/
    name: Backyard Montana
  - url: https://www.fs.usda.gov/bdnf
    name: Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest
  - url: https://www.bigskyfishing.com/scenic-drives/pioneer-byway.php
    name: Montana Fishing Information
  - url: https://silverbowclub.com/pioneer-scenic-byway/
    name: Pioneer Scenic Byway
designations:
  - National Forest Scenic Byway
  - Montana State Scenic Byway
states:
  - MT
ll:
  - -112.95571899999999
  - 45.79239999999993
bounds:
  - - -113.12429799999995
    - 45.27806100000004
  - - -112.95571899999999
    - 45.79239999999993

---

On the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, you can travel the length of the Pioneer Mountain Range.  Granite peaks topping 10,000 feet in elevation are to the east, and gentler, forested terrain stretches out to the west. You'll see mountain meadows, lodgepole pine forests and broad "willow bottoms."  The road gently ascends a 7,800 foot divide between Wise River, flowing north, and Grasshopper Creek, flowing south. Interpretive sites along the byway tell travelers about the natural scene and some of the interesting history of the Pioneer Mountains.  You may also visit the ghost town of Coolidge and the abandoned Elkhorn silver mine.