"Old gold mining ghost town" Garnet by Camping_Girl

Garnet Travel Guide: 2 reviews and 5 photos

A step back in time

The Garnet ghost town is situated about 20 miles east of Missoula along highway 200. Watch for a small sign that shows you where to turn off the highway to the south. You go about 13 miles off the highway. The first 7 or 8 miles are paved and the last stretch is a good quality gravel road. The views from this road as you near the ghost town are breath taking.

Once you reach the parking lot, you need to walk a short distance down a path through the trees, the distance is about 1 km, or 1/2 mile, maybe even less. When you get to the end of the path, you can see the town below you, in a sheltered hollow. It is so well-preserved it's almost unbelievable. A great deal of the buildings are still standing and you can enter most of them.

The last resident of the town left in the 60's, but most of the town folk deserted the place in the early part of the 20th century. There are still a few people living out here - watch for places that are clearly marked "private property" and respect that.

One of the things I couldn't get over was the old furniture in the buildings. When we entered one of the miner's cabins it really hit home that people had just deserted this place. In the corner of the cabin is the remains of an old iron bed. All that is left of it are the head & foot boards and the spring frame. It's lying on the ground in the cabin, right where it collapsed. The mattress is long gone.

I guess when people left, they took what they could and left the rest behind.

Website

For more information about Garnet, go to their website:

garnetghosttown

Last visit to Garnet: May 2006
Intro Updated May 8, 2008
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Reviews (2)

Walk around the town Things to Do (2)

The town hotel & school room (now the info centre) are still standing, along with the general store and many houses and... more travel advice

Have a picnic Things to Do (2)

There is a nice view point along the road to Garnet. There is room to park a couple of vehicles and there is a picnic... more travel advice

Comments (2)

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nickandchris Sep 8, 2008 at 9:03 AM

Would love to visit here.
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Bwana_Brown Sep 2, 2007 at 7:11 AM

Garnet looks like a great place to visit and with a spectacular drive to get there! I love poking around abandoned farms in New Brunswick but we don't have any ghost towns like this gem!