Local Businesses
Photo courtesy: John Ansotegui
Bull Lake
Photo courtesy: Bad Medicine Campground
Kootenai River
Photo courtesy: MTOT
Troy is in a mountainous area in the northwest corner of the state, less than ten miles from Idaho and about fifty from the Canadian line. It is also just a few miles east of the line where Mountain Standard becomes Pacific Standard Time for westbound travelers. Troy was a freight division on the Great Northern and headquarters for silver mining outfits working in the Cabinet Mountains. Railroad construction crews and miners set up a camp at the mouth of Lake Creek east of the present town and called it Lake City. By 1891 the crews had moved on and remnants of the town moved over to the site chosen by the railroad for a freight division. The origin of the town's name is disputed; some say it was named for a civil engineer who worked for the GN when the railroad was locating track through this part of Montana. (from Cheney's Names on the Face of Montana, Mountain Press Publishing Company)
At an elevation of 1,892 feet, Troy is the lowest point in Montana. This town of about 1,100 is on the west bank of the Kootenai River, which flows northwest from Troy into Idaho. The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness are to the south and the Purcell Mountains are to the north. Visitors can walk among cedars that are more than 500 years old and 250 feet high at the Ross Creek Cedar Grove Scenic Area, south of town. The western red cedar forest is a Pacific rainforest, a little unusual for Montana, with more than 50 inches of rain annually.
The Ross Creek Scenic Area is located on the Kootenai National Forest in northwest Montana. This 100-acre scenic area is home to a grove of giant, ancient western red cedars. Some of these trees grow up to 12 feet in diameter and 175 feet in height. Consisting of 500-year-old giant red cedars in a rain forest atmosphere, this area is a favorite with visitors to the Forest. There is a paved nature trail with informational signs and benches along the route, and it is a very easy walk over mostly flat terrain.
Bad Medicine Campground is located on 7-mile-long Bull Lake, this site is situated among various types of flora and dense conifers. It offers a boat ramp, fishing access, picnic area, and nice views of the immediate vicinity. Fish species include eastern brook and rainbow trout, kokanee salmon, and large mouth bass. Dorr Skeels Campground is located in Kootenai National Forest adjacent to Bull Lake in a beautiful mountain setting approximately 2 miles from the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness boundary. The Ross Creek Scenic Area, a grove of giant cedars nestled in a rain forest-type setting, is located approximately 7 miles from Dorr Skeels.
This is Kootenai River country! We're everything you ever dreamt about northwestern Montana. Bighorn sheep and cougars roam the mountain slopes. Elk and moose browse the valley floors. Prize rainbow trout swim the wild and beautiful Kootenai River, while bald eagles and osprey soar overhead.
Visit the Troy Visitors Center for information about the area.
