Montana Highway 38 (MT 38), also known as Skalkaho Road or Skalkaho Highway is a state highway in the US state of

Montana Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...

approximately long. It provides seasonal direct land connections between the communities of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

on the west and Philipsburg and

Anaconda Anacondas or water boas are a group of large snakes of the genus '' Eunectes''. They are found in tropical South America. Four species are currently recognized. Description Although the name applies to a group of snakes, it is often used ...

on the east via

Skalkaho Pass The Skalkaho Pass (Salish: Sq̓x̣q̓x̣ó, "many trails" ), above sea level, is a pass in the Sapphire Mountains in southwest Montana traversed by Montana Highway 38. The road over the pass connects the towns of Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: ...

. The highway and the pass take their name from the

Salish Salish () may refer to: * Salish peoples, a group of First Nations/Native Americans ** Coast Salish peoples, several First Nations/Native American groups in the coastal regions of the Pacific Northwest ** Interior Salish peoples, several First Nat ...

word ''Sq̓x̣q̓x̣ó'', "many trails".

Route description

MT 38 begins south of

, at an intersection with

U.S. Highway 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south United States highway, numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 60 in Arizona, US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the ...

(US 93). Initially, the highway heads south along a former section of US 93. The road takes an abrupt turn eastward as it passes through Grantsdale, begins its meandering climb southeast along Skalkaho Creek and northeast along Daly Creek through the

Sapphire Mountains The Sapphire Mountains are a range of mountains located in southwestern Montana in the northwestern United States. From a point near the Clark Fork River and the city of Missoula, they run in a southerly direction for a distance of approximately ...

, turning southeast again before it crosses

. From the pass, MT 38 descends along the West Fork Rock Creek, past the Gem Mountain sapphire mine and crosses Rock Creek near its headwaters, going into Eagle Canyon before making a northeasterly run to its terminus at MT 1, south of Philipsburg and west of

. Except for its westernmost and easternmost segments, MT 38 is mostly gravel.

Winter closure

Due to heavy snowfall on the narrow winding road, MT 38 is closed from east of Daly Creek to west of Gem Mountain, usually from late November until

Memorial Day Memorial Day (originally known as Decoration Day) is a federal holiday in the United States for mourning the U.S. military personnel who have fought and died while serving in the United States armed forces. It is observed on the last Monda ...

weekend.

Scenic routes

Skalkaho Highway is part of, or links to, these scenic routes: * The Skalkaho Highway Scenic Byway * Philipsburg Scenic Loop (MT 38, Rock Creek Road, Montana Secondary Highway 348 and MT 1) * Rock Creek Road Back Country Byway (connects to

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

east of Clinton at exit 126) * Pintler Scenic Route (MT 1)

Major intersections

References

External links