Montana Highway 38

Montana Highway 38 (MT 38), also known as Skalkaho Road or Skalkaho Highway is a state highway in the US state of Montana approximately 53.8 miles (86.6 km) long. It provides seasonal direct land connections between the communities of Hamilton on the west and Phillipsburg and Anaconda on the east via Skalkaho Pass.

Montana Highway 38
MT 38 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by MDT
Length53.835 mi[1] (86.639 km)
Existed1924–present
Major junctions
West end US 93 in Grantsdale
East end MT 1 at Porters Corner
Location
CountiesRavalli, Granite
Highway system
← MT 37→ MT 39

The highway and the 7,258-foot-high (2,212 m) pass take their name from the Salish word Sq̓x̣q̓x̣ó, "many trails".[2]

Route description

MT 38 begins three miles (4.8 km) south of Hamilton, at an intersection with U.S. Highway 93 (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, turning southeast again before it crosses Skalkaho Pass. 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, six miles (9.7 km) south of Phillipsburg and 23 miles (37 km) west of Anaconda.

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 14 miles (23 km) east of Daly Creek to 16 miles (26 km) west of Gem Mountain, usually from late November until Memorial Day weekend.

Scenic routes

Skalkaho Highway is part of, or links to, these scenic routes:

  • The Skalkaho Highway Scenic Byway
  • Phillipsburg Scenic Loop (MT 38, Rock Creek Road, Montana Secondary Highway 348 and MT 1)
  • Rock Creek Road Back Country Byway (connects to Interstate 90 east of Clinton at exit 126)
  • Pintler Scenic Route (MT 1)

Major intersections
CountyLocationmi[1]kmDestinationsNotes
RavalliGrantsdale0.0000.000 US 93 – Darby, HamiltonWestern terminus
GranitePorter's Corner53.83586.639 MT 1 – Phillipsburg, AnacondaEastern terminus
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also
  •  U.S. roads portal

References
  1. Montana Department of Transportation. "Montana Off System Routes" (GIS data). Montana Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 29, 2017.
  2. "Salish Audio Files". Salish-Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee. 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.

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