Burke Canyon

Burke Canyon stretches through the northernmost reaches of Shoshone County, Idaho, carved by Burke-Canyon Creek within the northeastern Silver Valley. Idaho State Highway 4 runs northeast through the canyon's narrow corridor all the way to the Montana border, giving the area its primary access route.

Mining drove intense activity here during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and that industrial past has left a visible mark on the landscape. Today the canyon holds several ghost towns and the remnants of former communities — faded evidence of what was once a busy working region.

Visitors come to drive the highway through the tight canyon, explore the scattered remains of those former settlements, and take in the remote, rugged character of the place. Access is straightforward via Highway 4, though the canyon's northern Idaho location means winter conditions can make travel difficult or hazardous for a good portion of the year.