Road trip guide: Conquering the Iron Mountain in Montana
Iron Mountain is a high mountain peak at an elevation of 3.082m (10,111ft) above the sea level, located in Sweet Grass County, in the U.S. state of Montana. It’s one of the highest mountain roads of Montana.
The road to the summit, located within the Custer Gallatin National Forest, is unpaved. It’s called U.S. Forest Service Road 140 (Picket Pin-Iron Mountain Road). The road is usually impassable from October to June (weather permitting). 4x4 vehicle required.
The drive is steep. Starting from County Road 420 (Stillwater Road) on Nye (in Stillwater County, Montana), the road to the summit is 35.72km (22.2 miles) long. Over this distance the elevation gain is 1.594 meters. The average gradient is 4.46%. This area is threaded with ATV and old mining roads.
Pic&video: Sue Clifton