Driving Tours

If you'd like to take a driving tour through the area, travel south on U.S. 93 to Florence, then cross the Bitterroot River and travel south on Mont. 203/263 through a 32-mile area filled with interesting landmarks, reconnecting with U.S. 93 at Hamilton. On your trip back, take U.S. 93 south through Hamilton, Victor, Darby, and Sula. As an alternative, continue south beyond Sula to Mont. 43, the road that leads to Wisdom. Doing so will take you winding through the valley and canyons of the Bitterroot Mountains, and you'll finally emerge at the Big Hole Battlefield.

If you are feeling very brave, and you don't mind getting your car beaten up on a rough dirt road, take the Skalkaho Pass Road to the east of Hamilton. Pick up Mont. 38 just south of Hamilton -- up Skalkaho Creek. The pavement runs out after a few miles, and you'll drive over a rocky, pitted, narrow road up through the Sapphire Mountains. Go slowly; the drop-offs here are as extreme as those along Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park, but without the guardrails. The views of forested hills are unsurpassed. It takes about 2 hours to cover the 54 miles to the Pintler Scenic Route, Mont. 1, which you pick up near Georgetown Lake.