Montana - Nevada City ghost town & Helena

After leaving Bozeman we took Interstate 90 West for about half an hour then turned off on to Highway 84 South. We then branched on to Highway 287 at Ennis and rode to our destination for the morning - Virginia City and it's neighbouring 'ghost town' - Nevada City.

One of my goals for this trip is to visit a 'ghost town'. There are many around - but most are only accessible on dirt or gravel roads. Some even need a horse or 4WD. This one we are visiting is alongside a state highway.

Located high in the Rocky Mountains in a basin along Alder Gulch, Virginia City is not a ghost town - but has over 100 historic buildings that have been preserved since the gold rush that caused this boom town in 1863. It has a chequered history and is infamous for the outlaws that robbed gold and the secret society of 'vigilantes' that hunted down the outlaws and publicly lynched them in the streets of Virginia City.

We spent some time walking up and down the boardwalk looking at the shops with memorabilia and souviners. We then hopped on the bike and drove a couple of miles down the road to Nevada City. The entire town of Nevada City is an official 'ghost town' and has been made a state museum. It is fenced off and you need to pay an entry fee - but the town is in it's original state from when after all the gold was mined and the residents moved away. The only modern enhancements are that the grass is mowed to make it easy for tourists to walk around and a few fire hydrants scattered around to protect the buildings (which would be tinder dry).

After lunch at the local Cafe' we rode through to Twin Bridges where we turned on to Highway 41 and rode north until we connected with Interstate 90 West again. We turned off at Butte on to Interstate 15 North and rode through Deer Lodge State Forest to our stop for the day after 424kms of riding - Helena.

Although it only has a population of around 28,000, Helena is the state capital of Montana. It was originally known as 'Last Chance Gulch' when it was founded as a gold mining camp in the 1860's. There are a number of historic mansions in the area built by mining millionaires, some of which have been converted in to B&B inns.