Bannack State Park

Bannack is the ghost town of Montana's first big gold strike and the territory's first capital. John White and his party found gold on Grasshopper Creek on 28 July 1862, and within a year the camp had passed 3,000 people. When Montana Territory was created in 1864, Bannack served briefly as its capital, until the legislature moved to Virginia City on 7 February 1865. The town is also tied to the story of Henry Plummer, Bannack's sheriff, who was hanged without trial with two of his deputies on 10 January 1864 by vigilantes who accused them of leading a gang of road agents.

Bannack never died suddenly. The gold gave out slowly, the county seat moved to Dillon, and by 1880 only about 250 people were left. Montana took the site into its state park system in 1954, and it became a National Historic Landmark in 1961. Today more than 50 buildings line Main Street, kept in a state of arrested decay rather than restored. Among them are the brick Hotel Meade, which was long the seat of Beaverhead County; the 1877 Methodist church; and the combined schoolhouse and Masonic lodge, alongside houses, stores and other buildings, many of which can be entered.

The park is managed by Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks. In 2026 it is open every day from 8 am to sunset, and the visitor centre opens 9 am to 6 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day and 9 am to 5 pm the rest of the year, staffing permitting; it closes on 24 and 25 December. Montana residents who pay the state parks fee with their vehicle registration enter free; non-residents pay $8 per vehicle or $4 on foot or by bicycle. The 28-site campground is open all year, with drinking water in summer only.

Two events stand out. Bannack Days, a weekend of period music, food and activities, was held on 18 and 19 July in 2026. The Ghost Walk on 23 and 24 October 2026, with tours at 7 pm and 9 pm and actors playing figures from Bannack's past, requires a reservation; tickets went on sale in September.

Allow two to three hours, more if you want to enter every building. Winter visits are quiet and atmospheric, but the access road can be slow in snow. Pets are allowed.