Be Careful Driving Around This Part of I-90

This place will always make me anxious while I drive through it. It doesn't matter what time of the year, it's very treacherous, and has seen every accident.

As most folks drive home for the holidays, they prepare for travel on some of Montana's highways, and they can be pretty gnarly, especially during the winter. I am one of those people who commute home, and I loathe driving in the winter. If you are like me you have to drive through several mountain passes, and those spots are always the diciest to go through.

You might be asking why's that? Well, many of these places are firmly set between mountains, forests, and rock faces that tend to shield off sunshine and warmth which will cause more cold and wet conditions. These factors all together can lead to dangerous icy roads, and I fell victim to them about five years ago. 

Listen, I always take my time going through mountain passes, but not all are that bad. Homestake Pass near Butte is pretty decent because they are consistently plowing the roads and have lowered speed limits. The mountain passes that give me anxiety are spots like Lookout Pass on the border of Montana and Bearmouth Pass next to Drummond. 

I hate driving through Bearmouth Pass during the winter, the high rock faces help keep the road wet, and in most cases, icy, and this is where I hit some black ice and slammed my car into the concrete median. I was fortunate and wasn't injured at all, but I found out from the Montana State Trooper that day, there had been over ten accidents so far in that area, and there was no end in sight.

Was it because people were going too fast? Maybe. Was it because folks didn't have snow tires? Not likely. The Bearmouth Pass area is prone to many accidents during the winter, and you just have to proceed with caution. I will be driving through that area slowly and safely because I never want to go through that experience again. 

Drive safe and have a great holiday!

Keep up to date on road conditions with the Montana Department of Transportation.