Tucked Away In Scenic Glacier Country Is Montana's Best-Preserved Ghost Town With Eerie Vibes

The American West is a land of legends that has captured the imagination of the world. Although nearly unrecognizable from what it was even 100 years ago, relics of the storied "Old West" are still scattered across the landscape. Nowhere is this more evident than in the West's many ghost towns. These former boom towns were part of the Wild West's frontier, mainly established to capitalize on resources such as gold, silver, or oil. Many were abandoned after the railroad was rerouted, or the terrain became too unforgiving, or the water dried up. The ghost towns of the West give an irresistible peek into the past. 

There are many historic ghost towns throughout the United States, but the West is particularly known for them. One of the best of the best — considered one of the most well-preserved ghost towns in the West — is Garnet, Montana. Established in the late 19th century by miners scouring the hills for gold and other precious stones (including garnet), the population boomed and dwindled with the success of the mines. During its heyday, the population reached over 1,000 people with 13 saloons, four hotels, a mercantile, a barber shop, a small school, and a post office. The town's remote location tucked in the Garnet Range of Montana's Rocky Mountains, about 30 miles away from Missoula, meant that the remaining buildings were largely untouched after its final abandonment in the 1940s, except for loose items vulnerable to looters (as well as wallpaper and a hotel staircase).

Montana has quite a few ghost towns, such as the former gold town of Bannack (now Bannack State Park), but what makes Garnet stand out is the remarkably intact buildings. Considering that the town was established quickly to take advantage of the boom — many buildings were built without foundations — it's surprising that so many still stand. Thirty historic buildings remain today, including one of the stores, a saloon, several log cabins, and a hotel. The scattered buildings give an eerie vibe as you walk between them on dusty paths and near-forgotten trails. 

Garnet was established in 1895 at First Chance Gulch, tucked in the Garnet Range, when Armistead Mitchell built a stamp mill (a machine that crushes ore into powder, often used to extract valuable minerals from rock). The town, known initially as Mitchell, was renamed Garnet in 1897 and reached its peak population in 1898. An estimated $950,000 in gold was extracted from Garnet's mines by 1917. The richness of the mines started to dwindle around 1905, and a devasting fire in 1912 shrunk the population even further. 

Any remaining miners left during World War I, although there was a short resurgence of the town in the 1930s with a revival of gold mining. World War II put a stop to this, and the town has been abandoned since. In 1960, the mine was officially declared dead, and the town was named on the National Register of Historic Places in 2010.

There are many beautiful, must-see spots to visit in Montana, lovingly known as the "Last Best Place," including Garnet. Although Garnet is more off-the-beaten-path, tucked off the freeway in the mountains, its location between prime tourist destinations like Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park makes it an easy addition to your Montana trip. It's a doable day trip from Missoula (just under an hour's drive away), where there are plenty of hotels. Several winter log cabins are available to rent in Garnet from December to April, but they're only reachable by ski, snowshoe, or snowmobile (learn more about booking the cabins on the Bureau of Land Management's Garnet website).

Garnet is technically open year-round, although some roads aren't passable during heavy snow in the winter. One of the best times of the year to visit Garnet is in June, during the annual Garnet Day. The ghost town comes to life with traditional music and historical presentations, along with old-timey candy and treats. You can also walk in the shoes of a 19th-century Montana gold miner and pan for gold in one of Garnet's nearby streams. Even in June, when the town is bustling during Garnet Day, the long-abandoned buildings retain a sense of eerieness.