MacDonald Pass, a scenic drive through the Rocky Mountains

MacDonald Pass is a high mountain pass at an elevation of 1.930m (6,332ft) above the sea level, located on the boundary of Powell County and Lewis and Clark counties. in the U.S. state of Montana, on the Continental Divide.

MacDonald Pass

Tucked away in the Rocky Mountains, within the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, the road to the summit, also known as McDonald Pass, is totally paved. It’s called U.S. Route 12. The drive, largely flat and pleasant, is very scenic. When the snow falls - which it does in the winter – things get tough and slippery. The road definitely has some twists and turns.

Located just west of Helena, the pass road is 70.81km (44.0 miles) long, running west-east from Garrison (in Powell County) to Helena, the state capital of the U.S. state of Montana and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. The road to the summit dates back to the 1860s. It was originally a toll road.