Solitude of Snow – Hiking Alone

True solitude comes when the snow is falling silently in the mountains of Montana. Hiking to the top of a point in the ridge above Missoula is a challenge in the knee powder of the most recent storm.

Rick Bass, the Pacific Northwest Trail, and His Yaak Delusion

In his recent opinion piece in the Missoula Independent, Rick Bass intentionally makes a series of errors, widespread smears, and outright untruths about the Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT) as it winds (yes, winds Rick, more on that later). Bass’s oppositional rhetoric to the PNT even disinters the ghost of famed grizzly bear researcher Chuck Jonkel […]

Mount Sentinel via Pengelly Ridge

Lone ponderosa pine on the slopes above the M

Normally, I think of Mount Sentinel has the M with its constant flow of folks making their way to the whitewashed concrete letter, but Mount Sentinel is a large area with an extensive network of trails. On a sunny day, Vida and I decided to tackle the slope from Pengelly Ridge to the top, and we […]

Friday Pass – Hike into the Elk Summit Country

Friday Pass is that way

Friday Pass is a low pass between the KoosKoosia Meadows area and the Wind Lakes in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area in Idaho. The hike to Friday Pass is a relatively manageable uphill until Swamp Lake (guess why it is called that?) when the trail goes steeply to the pass. Once reaching Friday Pass, you can […]

Schley Mountain Hike – Great Views of the Great Burn Roadless Area

Vida nearing the top

At the peak of Schley Mountain, you have awesome 360-degree views of the Great Burn Roadless Area. This hike is 3 miles point-to-point, with mild 500’ in elevation gain. Good views from the site of the former Schley Mountain lookout. [sgpx gpx=”/wp-content/uploads/gpx/Schley Mountain .gpx”]

Trapper Peak – Highest Summit in the Bitterroot Mountains

Trapper Peak, sitting at 10,157 feet, is the highest of the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana. This summit is probably the most well-known mountain in the Bitterroot Mountains, if for no other reason, simply because it has the highest summit. Dominating Darby, Montana, Trapper Peak is accessed via the West Fork of Bitterroot River, and, in […]

Hiking to Canyon Lake – Revisiting a Challenge

Canyon Lake was drawn down considerably

Canyon Lake, a trail that seemed to almost kill us the last time we hike it. The last mile to the lake had my knees sounding like rusty hinges and my legs shaking. I still remember the sore legs for several days after that hike. So, why do it again and see what happens. To […]

Fish Lake – Another hike in the Lost Horse Country

Vida hanging out on the shores of Fish Lake

From the Bear Creek Pass Trailhead, several great hikes spread into the Lost Horse Country, and the trail to Fish Lake is exceptional. Starting out, we hiked through a mixture of forest and boulder fields until we reached a junction in the path. By this time we were solidly within the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area. Continuing […]

Hiking to Little Rock Creek Lake

Little Rock Creek Lake

The best hikes, like this one to Little Rock Creek Lake, are always those spur of the moment, look at the map, and go. “Let’s go for a hike.” “Never done Little Rock Creek Lake.” “Let’s do it!” And with that, we were off to the Little Rock Creek trailhead, located above Lake Como to the […]

Hiking to Castle Rock – Blue Joint Wilderness Study Area

Vida descending along the andesite flanks with golden eagles overhead

Located within the Blue Joint Wilderness Study Area, Castle Rock is easily one of the most recognizable features in the Magruder Corridor. The bare prominence stands boldly above the ridge that stems southward from Nez Perce Pass. The actual “castle” of Castle Rock is a mass of porphyritic andesite, a highly durable volcanic stone. So, […]

Mount Sentinel after the first rain in 45 days

Missoula from Mount Sentinel

It rained…I almost forgot what rain was, but there it was falling from the smokey sky. Vida had the idea of hiking in the cool air, so we decided on a quick hike up Mount Sentinel from the Crazy Canyon trailhead. Mount Sentinel (formally known as Mount Woody) stands above Missoula, and it is the […]

Hike down into Walton Lakes, Idaho

Meadows surround the southern edge of the lower Walton Lake

Two hikes in a row have started a hefty downhill, which the end of the day is uphill (shaking a fist at the gods). From a ridge near Tom Beal Park, you descend nearly 1000 feet to the first lake of the Walton Lakes. The trail is generally in great shape. The huckleberries were abundant […]

Quick afternoon Blue Mountain Lookout jaunt

Blue skies over the Blue Mountain Lookout

For those of us that live in western Montana, we are extremely fortunate to have so many great hiking destinations in such close proximity to our homes. Blue Mountain stands over Missoula, and on top of its forested slopes is a little-used fire lookout. The hike to the summit is a rather quick 1.9 miles […]

Hike to Glen Lake (with extension to No Name Lake)

Through a forest of gray spires, the hike to Glen Lake offered us the immense vistas of the Bitterroot Mountains. I have also enjoyed the Glen Lake hike as it is relatively easy and a cruise. The biggest plus is the short additional hike to No Name Lake, a small, shallow pond that sits in […]

Evening hike along Bass Creek

O! Bass Creek, how I love thee? Is that flowery enough? But seriously, I love hiking the Bass Creek drainage with its proximity to my home and the vistas that abound on this trail. On this evening, I was joined by my two favorite hiking partners, Vida and Jeff. They are my favorites because they graciously […]