Continental Divide Trail Coalition

Mountain Range

Butte

Experience the Richest Hill on Earth

Town with mountains

Found in the beautiful Silver Bow Creek Valley, and sitting almost on top of the Continental Divide, you can find the deeply historic city of Butte, Montana.

Butte, and the entirety of the Northern Plains lands, were and still are occupied by Indigenous Peoples including the Shoshone-Bannock and Salish Kootenai (Flathead) Nations. At its height, Butte was not only the largest city in Montana, it was the largest city west of the Mississippi River between Chicago and San Francisco. The city was a major mining hub and began in the late 1800s as a silver and gold camp, eventually turning to copper mining at the advent of the Industrial Revolution. The copper boom in Butte was one of the first centralized and industrialized businesses in the world.

More recently, Butte has started to turn away from the boom and bust economy of mining and begun to capitalize on its historic downtown, one of the largest National Historic Districts in the country. Butte’s many festivals earned it the nickname “The Festival City.” Throughout town, you can find the influences of the many ethnic and cultural groups who made Butte their home in the 20th century.

Buildings and street
Main street of town
Town with mountains
Field
Mountain Range
Sign post
Mountain Range

Getting There

The closest airport to Butte is Bert Mooney Airport. From the airport, there are many rental car options, and the drive into Butte is fairly quick. The closest international airport to Butte is Missoula International Airport. Butte is located at the intersection of I-15 and I-90, which are the easiest ways to arrive by car. If you would like to travel to Butte by bus, Salt Lake Express offers bus service on I-15 between Butte and Salt Lake City, Utah. Buses arrive and depart from the Butte Bus Transfer Station across from the Civic Center on Harrison Ave.

Getting Around

Check back later for more information.

Nine Things to do in Butte

  1. Take in the sights and visit the Berkley Pit on a Trolley Tour

  2. View Our Lady of the Rockies, the third largest statue in the United States, atop the Continental Divide

  3. Quench your thirst at Butte Brewing, Quarry Brewing, or Headframe Spirits 

  4. Experience the world of underground mining at the World Museum of Mining 

  5. Snag a ride to the CDT with the Linked Adventures shuttle service

  6. Visit copper baron William Clark’s Gilded Age Victorian Copper King Mansion

  7. Feast on a pasty meat pie with gravy or a John’s Pork Chop Sandwich

  8. Enjoy the colorful stories and places of Butte‘s past on an Old Butte Historical Adventures tour.

  9. Festivals abound! Head to Butte for SNӧFLINGA, St. Patrick’s Day, Montana Folk Festival, Serbian Festival, An Ri Ra Gaelic festival, or Music on Main

Mountain Range
Featured Hike
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Limekiln Hill

  • Difficulty: Moderate

  • Length: 10 miles

  • Closest Town: Butte, MT

  • Directions: Directions from Butte: MT: Take I-90 E for 4 miles before taking exit 228 toward Continental Drive. Turn right onto Mt Highland Drive and immediately take a left at the first cross street onto Continental Drive. Continue for 4 miles and take a left onto MT-2 E. Drive for 4.6 miles before reaching the CDT at Pipestone Pass. The parking area, with enough space for horse trailer parking, will be on the right. To reach Limekiln Hill you will head south on the CDT.

  • Maps:

    USGS 7.5 quadrangle: Pipestone Pass; USFS: Beaverhead-Dearlodge National Forest, Butte; CDTC Map Set: Map 357, Section MT17.

  • For More Information:

    Backyard Montana website: backyardmontana.com; Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Butte Ranger District: (406)-494- 2147.

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Getting to the Continental Divide Trail

Butte to Homestake Pass
From Butte, MT, travel east on Interstate 90 for 7.2 miles to Homestake Pass; there is a trailhead to the right that accesses the CDT to the south.

Butte to Pipestone Pass
From Butte, travel south on Continental Drive to the intersection with MT Highway 2. Turn left onto the highway and travel approximately 6 miles to the top of the pass. There is a trailhead on the right that accesses the CDT to the north and south.

Butte to Lower Seymour Lake
From Butte, head west on I-15 S/I-90 W. Continue on I-90 W for 13.5 miles, then take exit 208 toward MT-1 N. Continue 4.6 miles on MT-1 N, then turn left onto MT-569 and continue for 18.9 miles. Then, turn right toward Seymour Lake Road, and continue 2.4 miles. Keep right on Seymour Creek Rd and continue for another 4.2 miles to Seymour Creek Campground, through which the CDT passes.