P a g e 4 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r Getting There You have a choice on approaching / visiting all three sites as they are linked together by through roads from the towns of Wise River and Melrose with camping options at both ends of the route. The author chose to visit the charcoal kilns and Vipond Park from the Melrose side from his existing campsite near Glendale, while visiting Quartz Hill via the very well maintained gravel road from the Town of Wise River. Those with suitable RVs like a 4x4 class B van or pop up truck camper mounted on a four wheel drive truck might consider driving from end to end. Quartz Hill Main Street Courtesy of https://northwestrving.com Here are the instructions for reaching the sites from the Melrose end of the route: To reach the Canyon Creek Charcoal Kilns: Turn right on Canyon Creek Road on the west "outskirts" of Glendale which we visited in the last entry. Continue on Canyon Creek Road for about 5 miles, until you reach the kilns at: N45° 40.771 W112° 52.215 To reach Vipond Park from the kilns continue on Canyon Creek Road for just over 1.5 miles until you reach a junction with a hard right turn at: N45° 40.237 W112° 53.834 Take the right hand turn which will take you up a fairly steep one lane road to Vipond Park at the top. To reach the ghost town of Quartz Hill from Vipond Park, continue on Quartz Hill Road through Vipond Park for approximately 8 miles. Camping See the last entry for areas to camp at the Melrose end of the route. Click on the previous Quartz Hill entry for areas to camp at the Wise River end of the route. I hope you have enjoyed this loop trip though a portion of Montana’s historic mining areas and the many options to camp while social distancing yourself from others. Montana Ghost Town Loop Series: Part 1 - Coolidge, Part 2 - Bannack & Farlin, Part 3 - Glendale, Hecla, Lion City & Trapper City, Part 4 - Canyon Creek, Vipond Park By Dave Helgeson for https://northwestrving.com/ Dave Helgeson is the MHRV Show Director. He and his wife love to travel across the west in their RV. Dave writes about all things RVing but loves to share destinations and boondocking advice.
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