Skip to main content

St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway


While Montana State Highway 135 commonly used as a shortcut to Glacier National Park from points west such as Coeur d'Alene and Spokane, the St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway provides enough attractions along its 22 miles to be a destination of its own. Beginning at I-90 in the little town of St. Regis and traveling through a diverse array of landscapes for its relatively short distance to MT 200 just outside of Paradise, the St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway provides a sampler of the wild western Montana countryside. The scenic byway makes its way through the canyon of the Clark Fork River across a section of the Lolo National Forest in the Coeur d'Alene Mountains. You will encounter spacious, rolling flats and steep canyon walls as the road meanders through the canyon, crisscrossing the river several times. You may spot some campers, fishermen or rafters along the way, not to mention the various types of wildlife as well. From I-90, MT 135 is also a bit of a shortcut to the National Bison Range and Flathead Lake.

But first, let's see why the St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway is so special. I had the opportunity to experience this road twice. The first time was when I made my first cross country trip with my family in 1995, as we went this way as part of our way west from Glacier National Park towards Washington State. I got to travel it again in September 2019, and it was a lot of fun to drive.

Only 24 miles to Paradise...

Beautiful downtown St. Regis, Montana.
As an Upstate New Yorker, a 70 mile an hour speed limit on a two lane road excites me.
The ascent to a scenic drive begins.

Nothing but blue skies...
I feel like these are the Burma Shave signs of the St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway.
The beautiful Clark Fork River is to your right. The river is about 280 miles long and is named for William Clark of Lewis & Clark fame.

Sometimes, you have to let the pictures speak for themselves.


The bridge in view is for the Montana Rail Link, a freight railroad that is based out of Missoula, Montana.

There's the majestic Clark Fork River again.

It's pretty nice seeing the road hug the river bank around here.
We're not quite in Paradise yet, but the scenery is pretty intoxicating.


A few dwellings pop up as we draw closer to the Paradise end of the byway.

The St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway ends at MT 200. You can make a left here to get to the town of Paradise.



Sources and Links:
Go-Montana - St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway
The Armchair Explorer - St. Regis-Paradise Scenic Byway

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80.   This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail.  Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range.  The first documented wagon crossi...

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced...