bannack state park

Truly a unique ghost town. Take the time to look at all the buildings and read about what took place so many years ago. It's easy to imagine how life must have been in the town, but a little hard to imagine how everything came to exist. Bannack has excellent access. The roads to town are well marked and there is pavement except for the last 1/2 mile to the parking area. The creekside camping area is very pleasant.

What you see is what it was. Authentic ghost town. Town comes alive in Bannack Days each summer. Don't miss the old style Methodist Sunday service in the old church. Big hat and stay hydrated in the summer. Watch for rattlers, especially under the boardwalks. Nice folks in the state parks shop. Well worth the trip! Need good walking shoes. There is pond ice skating generally in the winter.

Amazing to walk where others did over 100 years ago. The buildings were amazing. The wife and I were in awe of how well the state has maintained the area. Planned the trip so we would get the rare treat of doing the annual "Ghost Walk", and what a fantastic treat. The actors were great, and we learned a lot about the history of the town and didn't even know it. Just thought we were having fun.Sad that some of the buildings had been vandalized. I guess there are those that don't care about our history and past.

Bannack ghost town/bannack State Park is a must see....a preserved ghost town that w as s the first territorial capitol of montana.it was a gold rush town and home to a few famous wild west outlaws...this park allows you to go on a self guided tour and You are allowed to go into most of the buildings and houses....lots to see here!.....two old cemetaries, lots of buildings and during July they have bannack days on one weekend, once a year! Old west enactment on shootouts, stagecoach robbery and historic events.......and in October there is ghostwalk......lots of fun and we'll worth the visit....two his park is closed during the winter months.......26 miles southwest of dillon montana...up in the mountians! Don't pass it up!

First of all Tripadvisor says Bannack is in Dillon. Bannack is many miles away and was the first Territorial Capitol, it definitely is its own town and is not Dillon.That said, it is a very complete ghost town being stabilized by the state. These sorts of buildings were thrown up to last a few years in the midst of gold strikes. They were not meant to still be there 100 or more years later. Especially with all the snow, wind, floods that have visited these old buildings. And of course the bottle diggers and "barnwood" removers do their damage. So many ghost towns have just fallen down when the roof goes, the cattle get in and it all caves in from there.This place has so much history with the gold strikes, it being the first Territorial Capitol and the crime wave it experienced and then the Vigilantes. The winner in that time was the Vigilantes whose representatives wrote their history. But there is evidence that not nearly as much crime happened and that their actions were too extreme. Who knows.There certainly were factions opposed to each other. The Democrats vs the Republicans, the pro North (it was settled during the Civil War) vs the pro Confederates, the Protestants vs the Catholics, the Masons vs others, who knows. If you can imagine a whole bunch of 19 year old men racing to the gold fields, far away from normal order (including their Mothers and family) you can expect some crime.A flood in Grasshopper Creek really damaged the town a few years ago closing it and the campground. Glad it was put back in good order.Great place to walk, look, reflect. You can bring your dog. It is in the midst of great mountains and near where Lewis and Clark passed.The ghost town of Coolidge in the East Pioneers is another nearby ghost town that has a lot of buildings standing and available to walk around.

A fantastic afternoon of wandering a real ghost town. Be sure to make time for this out of the way spot to see some Montana history. Wear walking shoes and bring water and a camera. The campgrounds and picnic areas close by are well kept.

I have been to Bannack many, many times! Located in the high desert of southwest Montana, it is truly a great place to visit. Someone else called it a hidden gem! How very, very true!It is well maintained and overflowing with Montana history. I haven't seen the ghost in the hotel yet, but I know folks who have. Bannack was our first territorial capital!I am a history buff! I know why I like it! But it is the perfect place to go to step back in time and see the beginnings of Montana! In fact, it is one of just a few of the destinations in this corner of Montana that sums up the history of Big Sky Country!

We visited this place in August and had a wonderful time. The buildings are in good shape and quite accessible to visitors of all ages. We travel with two dogs and were allowed to take them with us, even inside the buildings, which they thoroughly enjoyed, taking in all the interesting smells. It is full of history, and there is a self-guided tour booklet available for a small fee that is quite informative. We would definitely go again should we travel to the area again.

This place has unbelievable history in character that our whole friends and family enjoyed something that anyone should experience if they are traveling in the vicinity we are excited to also enjoy the campground and horseback riding next year.This is truly a sight to see and a hidden gemYou can feel the presence and the ambience of time beforeImmerse yourself for a day of history!!!

Some ghost towns are sort of "built on site" but not this one. Bannack is the real deal and had once been a thriving community. It now consists of one main street and some additional buildings, almost all of which are open to the public. Well worth a visit to kids of all ages who want to see how people really lived in yesteryear.

The town itself was great. So much history and nicely laid out. We stayed at the nearby campground, which was also very nice. We went on a Saturday afternoon, but a sudden rainstorm forced us to leave and return the next morning. Both times, myself, husband and another couple rode our bikes from the campground. When we got on our bikes on the second day to return to the campground, a state employee came rushing out of the office and started shouting at us about the rule against riding bikes through the town. When he stopped shouting long enough for us to tell him that we were simply crossing the street to get to a bridge to go back to the campground, he said, "okay, I'll let you". He could not have been more rude. This certainly tarnished our visit. As a matter of fact, out of the three employees we encountered, one was professional and the other two need to find employment that does not involve customer service.

did both guided tours. guides were excellent. no cost for Montanas and guided tours were also free. also explored by ourselves.

We arrived early on a Sunday. Pretty much had the place to ourselves for awhile. A lot of old buildings with boardwalks. Purchased a booklet about the Ghost Town for $2, entrance fee $5 per vehicle. Spent several hours there and learned a lot about the era. Really enjoyed it. Took lots of pictures.

We really enjoyed walking down the old street and admiring the buildings. The great part is that you can actually enter many of them and take a look around. Definitely worth a stop if you're in the area.

Great little Ghost town to visit. Although it's under repair and not just preservation the buildings are clean and easy to walk around. The information pamphlet you get from the staff has quite a bit of information on each building which was nice. You do however have to watch for rattle snakes in the town site but we never seen one. I would definitely travel there again.