On US 93, about an hour south of Missoula, you come
to MT Hwy 38, a gravel road traversing the Sapphire
Mountain Range. At 7,260, you pass over the Skalkaho
Pass, which has given its name to this fifty-mile drive
connecting Hamilton at the foot of the Bitterroot
Mountains and Philipsburg at the foot of the Pintlers in
the Flint Creek Mountain Range. Traveling the route
requires winter snows to melt, so don't expect it to
open before July 4th. Enjoy passing through
high-elevation big-game country. Stop at Sand Basin for
camping, hiking, and biking; or at Crystal Creek for
camping; see Mud Lake, an alpine lake becoming a peat
bog traversed by an accessible boardwalk; or stop at
Skalkaho Falls, with its water and big mountain views.
This is a drive where, truly, you must slow down and
smell the flowers!
