Located within a sweeping valley, the town of Dillon, Montana lies near where the Beaverhead, Big Hole, and Ruby rivers drain. Dillon is a particularly popular place for outdoor recreational activities, especially fishing, with Beaverhead River being a blue-ribbon trout stream. For visitors wanting to step back in time to the Gold Rush era, the Bannack State Park is the site of the first major gold discovery in the state of Montana. For fans of local craft beers, the Beaverhead Brewing Company offers a taste of Montana beer.
Bannack State Park
Bannack State Park is where the first major gold discovery occurred in Montana, taking place on July 28th in 1862. This discovery kicked off a huge gold rush, causing the population of Bannack to grow to more than three thousand people by 1863. Bannack State Park, now a National Historic Landmark, features a Main Street lined by over fifty buildings, showcasing the historic log-and-frame structure of the formative years of Montana. Tours are offered starting at the visitor center between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The park also hosts the annual Bannack Days and includes a campground with nearly thirty campsites.
Bannack State Park, 721 Bannack Rd, Dillon, MT 59725, Phone: 406-834-3413
Lemhi Pass
Located at an elevation of 7,323 feet, Lemhi Pass is a rounded saddle within the Bitterroot Range’s Beaverhead Mountains, situated along the Continental Divide between Idaho and Montana. This pass is where the Lewis and Clark Expedition saw the Columbia River’s headwaters for the first time in 1805. In 1960, the Lemhi Pass was made a National Historic Landmark due its significance to the expedition. The landscape of the pass remains today much as it did more than two hundred years ago. It’s still a remote mountain pass boasting a scenic natural landscape. Use of a high-clearance vehicle is strongly advised.
Lemhi Pass, 420 Barrett St, Dillon, MT 59725, Phone: 406-683-3900
Beaverhead River, Dillon, MT
One of Montana’s premier fishing rivers for brown trout, Beaverhead River is home to more brown trout on a fairly consistent basis than any other river in the state.
The river flows from the Clark Canyon Reservoir for eighty miles to the confluence of the Jefferson River, situated near Twin Bridges. The Beaverhead River is also one of the most famous rivers in Montana, located along the route taken in 1805 by the Lewis and Clark Expedition. There are several outfitters and guides along the river, offering anglers an opportunity to try their hand against Montana’s wild trout. Map
Clark Canyon Dam, Dillon, Montana
The Clark Canyon Dam, or also known as the Clark Canyon Reservoir, can be found just outside of the town of Dillon, along the Beaverhead River. Clark Canyon is also the site of one of the Lewis and Clark Trail’s more significant spots, Camp Fortunate. It was at this site that the expedition met the Limhi Shoshoni Tribe, as well as where Lewis and Clark kept canoes and supplies for their return trip. Camp Fortunate is also where Sacagawea was able to be reunited with her people. The Clark Canyon Dam is a good place for brown and rainbow trout fishing.
Clark Canyon Dam, 1100 Highway 41, Dillon, MT 59725, Phone: 406-683-6472
Beaverhead Brewing Company
The Beaverhead Brewing Company strives to produce quality, clean beers true to the various beer styles the brewery serves, known that preferences for certain styles of beer are very personal. The brewery’s goal is to provide people with a wide array of beers that are able to appeal to beer lovers all across the spectrum. The Beaverhead Brewing Company aims to provide a place with its tasting room where lager lovers and IPA lagers can find common ground and enjoy a pint or two of their preferred style of beer. The tasting room is open seven days a week.
Beaverhead Brewing Company, 218 S Montana St, Dillon, MT 59725, Phone: 406-988-0011
