Entry No. 47 — the Helena file — filed under: roadside-oddity

Elkhorn State Park (Elkhorn Ghost Town)

Montana's smallest state park is really just two surviving buildings inside a privately owned silver-mining ghost town: the 1893 Fraternity Hall and adjacent Gillian Hall. You can walk right in and climb to Fraternity Hall's second floor, which once hosted dances, prize fights, and the local Oddfellows and Masons. The rest of Elkhorn is a scatter of leaning cabins and a hillside cemetery along a backcountry road.

The move: Drive the dirt road up to Elkhorn, step inside the 130-year-old Fraternity Hall and climb to its echoing upper floor, then walk the old town site reading the interpretive signs.

📍 Before you go Two state-owned halls are open to the public year-round; please close the doors behind you. The rest of the town is private. About 50 miles from Helena via Boulder.

• 📍 Elkhorn (near Boulder)
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: Elkhorn Rd, Elkhorn, MT (off MT-69 south of Boulder)

Hours: Added 2026-06-24 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Proof: source 1 · source 2 · source 3 · source 4

last checked: 2026-06-24