Deer Lodge Pass


Deer Lodge Pass, elevation, is a mountain pass on the Continental Divide in southwestern Montana, about 11 miles southwest of Butte. It is traversed by Interstate 15 and is one of three crossings of the Divide by I-15, the others being Monida Pass and Elk Park Pass north of Butte. Unlike most other passes in western Montana, Deer Lodge Pass is in the midst of treeless, rolling hills, and the grades on the highway are relatively gentle.
About west of the highway crossing is a slightly lower pass, elevation, that carries a branch line of the Union Pacific Railroad across the Divide. This is sometimes also referred to as Deer Lodge Pass, but the official railroad name for this location is Feely. The railroad line connects Silver Bow, Montana with Idaho Falls, Idaho and is a remnant of the Utah and Northern Railway, completed over the pass in 1881 and converted to standard gauge five years later.