HD 215 covers the eastern Pioneer Mountains and the country south of Butte toward the Big Hole drainage—heavy timber, granite ridges, and chains of subalpine lakes that earned the East Pioneers their cult following with hikers. Elevations run from about 5,500 feet on the Big Hole-side approach to over 10,500 feet on Tweedy Mountain and the surrounding peaks. The Pioneers split into the East and West Pioneers—the East side, where most of 215 lives, is the rougher, more granitic, more lake-pocked half. Lower elevations are sage and Douglas fir on south slopes, lodgepole on the benches; mid elevations are dense lodgepole and mixed conifer with a lot of beetle-killed standing dead from the 2000s outbreak; the high country breaks into spruce-fir, whitebark pine, and granite cirques studded with named lakes (Lake Agnes, Tahepia, the Sawtooth basin). Elk live the high parks, mule deer work the timber-rock interface, and a healthy moose population uses the willow bottoms. Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF covers most of the public ground, with BLM on the lower foothills and private ranch ground at the bases. Access is from the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway (FR 484) which runs north-south through the range between Wise River and Polaris, plus a mess of forest spurs. The road is paved partway and turns to good gravel; it closes seasonally with snow. Wise River is a tiny supply stop—gas, a bar, lodging at the Wise River Club. Dillon and Butte are the real towns. Cell service is gone basically anywhere off the main highways. The East Pioneers see a lot of summer hiker traffic and a lot less rifle-season pressure than that suggests; once snow shuts the byway, the high country is yours. Plan to walk and pack out hard.