Trail Overview
Bannack Pass Road (FS 951) has a variety of names because it is a portion of a historic route that supplied goods and services to the historic mining city of Bannack, Montana. It is often referred to as the South Medicine Lodge Road, the Corrine Freight Road, or the Bannack Stage Road. Whatever one chooses to call it, the road leads from the Continental Divide to a series of valleys in Montana. From the Continental Divide, the first three miles are the steepest part of the descent, and the tread is often moderately rutted and rocky. The remainder of the road is easy, although the water crossing at Deadman Creek should be taken seriously, especially in the spring.
Difficulty
The water crossing at Deadman Creek is the primary obstacle on this route. It is estimated to be about 15 inches deep in the summer, but might be significantly more earlier in the year. The crossing is hardened, so getting stuck in the mud is not an issue.
History
After the discovery of gold in Grasshopper Creek in 1862, the mining town of Bannack quickly grew to a busy community of an estimated 3,000 hard-working, hard-living men and women. To help supply desperately needed goods and services to this community, a 300-mile wagon road was constructed from near Salt Lake City to Bannack. This trail is one segment of that amazing wagon route.
