38 replies to this topic

[Tahoems]

Sorry after reading my comments it looks like the auto spell twisted a few words around anyway it was a great trip.

[Foy]

Tahoems,

 

Thanks for contributing.  At this point in time it appears the ongoing fire and closures are most likely to affect Gravelly Range Road and Johnny Gulch Road north and east of Black Butte, leaving access from the Centennial Valley to the southern half to two-thirds of the Gravellies and nearly all access to the Snowcrest, Blacktail, and Greenhorn ranges still open. I have two questions about your recent trip:

 

Did you hike up to the summit of Black Butte from Gravelly Range Road?  Your post mentions summit but I don't know if you mean you hiked up to the peak from the Gravelly Range Road.  If you did, how difficult of a hike was it?  Various descriptions make it seem fairly easy, but looks can be deceiving.  

 

Second, you mention driving through Yellowstone after leaving the Gravellies. Did you turn east and exit the Gravellies on Standard Creek Road immediately north of Black Butte or did you proceed further north to exit closer to Cameron and Ennis, MT?

 

Thanks for any additional inputs.

 

Foy

[Tahoems]

Didn't hike up to Black Butte. Although in hind sight maybe we should have made a day of it and camped nearby. Beautiful out there. We exited via Standard Creek Rd. That went on forever as it is windy road that wasnt always descending. It was Friday and we were on a mission to do Yellowstone on a Saturday so we ended up down at a free public camground that nite at Henry's Lake. We woke at 4am to get a jump on the crowds and had a decent 1day drive through Yellowstone entering from the West. We were to stay at Tom Miner north of the park that night but we're already feeling scruffy and found a room at Chico hot springs for shower and refresh. Then we bolted for Glacier NP. That was a trip in itself.

[Foy]

Thanks very much for the details.  I've looked at Standard Creek Road on maps and satellite images and it certainly appears long and windy, plus it loses the northerly exit I need since I'm headed to Bozeman that day.  I'll probably favor exiting the plateau to the west into the Ruby River basin if that's still open when I get out there. Plus a traverse out  of the Centennial Valley via Ruby River Road has already been suggested herein.

 

Foy

[Tahoems]

Thanks very much for the details. I've looked at Standard Creek Road on maps and satellite images and it certainly appears long and windy, plus it loses the northerly exit I need since I'm headed to Bozeman that day. I'll probably favor exiting the plateau to the west into the Ruby River basin if that's still open when I get out there. Plus a traverse out of the Centennial Valley via Ruby River Road has already been suggested herein.

Foy

It looks like endless adventure in there. I hope to go back some day and explore more. Yellowstone was on the bucketlist so we had to pull out.

[Taku]

Foy: There are a couple of nice campsites on either side of the road just north of Black Butte. The hike up the Butte is not bad, rocky, but we have taken our Lab up there. Depends on what you are used too. There are also some nice campsites going down Burnt Creek heading towards the Ruby River road - look mostly to the north side of the road in the aspen trees. The Ruby road is pretty good, Standard Creek road is fine, is a bit long. Might be sixes going out Standard as opposed to the Ruby and out through Alder and Virginia City to get to Bozman. BTW: was Gray Thompson one of your instructors at field camp in Dillon?

[Foy]

Thanks for the input Taku. We're not camping on this trip but I expect we'll be back in that part of Montana when we are. Good to have more intel on ascending Black Butte, too. I don't recall Gray Thompson among the field camp instructors. The 1978 July/August session I attended was a joint session of the U of Montana and Purdue U. I was the only visiting student. I remember the director as Robert (Bob) Weidman since it was he who I begged and groveled to to gain admission to what was supposed to be a closed session.

[Vic Harder]

When you are in Phillipsburg, or as what we locals call Pburg, make sure you visit the candy store. Also if you have a chance, on Hwy 1 between Pburg and Anaconda, there is Storm lake, absolutely beautiful area. It does get kind of rough towards the end though, but nothing to extreme. Also there is the Skalkaho pass, it is off of hwy 1 too, its an easy drive and it is very scenic, having a big waterfall halfway though, this road will also take you over to Hamilton area. There is also a great spots to explore outside of Deer Lodge, where I live, you have Orifino campground to the east, and then you have the area up behind the prison, there is also Racetrack area, has a national forest campground, which is a great spot to see bears and moose. Any questions let em fly.

Looks like we will be in the Pburg/Skalkaho Pass area on June 27-28 or so, on our way west to Seattle.  Ideas for or experience with campsites on the west side of the pass would be wonderful!  On Freecampsites.net  I see one at Grid Point aka the Skalkaho Rye Road junction.  And how long would you plan on stopping at Pburg?  That brewery looks awesome!

Edited by Vic Harder, 04 March 2019 - 04:12 AM.

[Foy]

Vic,

 

We've never camped on the west side of the Sapphires between Skalkaho Pass and Hamilton.  The iOverlander suggestion of disbursed sites on Skalkaho Rye Rd looks OK to me, however.  It's probably well down from the pass in terms of elevation and it could be warm-ish but probably not uncomfortably so. It could also be below freezing overnight--never can tell!  If you're headed towards SEA from there, I suppose you'd be headed up US 93 to I-90 at Missoula or at least to US 12 over Lolo Pass.  Either way, there are lots of out and back fairly short drives up into the steep, deep canyons along the east side of the Bitterroots.  There's the commercially developed hot spring at or near Lolo Pass and they've got a campground there.  A short distance south of Hamilton, just past Darby, is Medicine Hot Spring. It's under new ownership with renovations and repairs under way and may or may not be open by late June.

 

For our own tastes, we'd be inclined to stop in P'burg long enough to enjoy some sitting time on Broadway in front of the P'burg Brewing Co and bask in the summer solstice's long days.  On two occasions we've booked an RV spot at the P'burg Inn motel just a few blocks down Broadway from the Brewery for EZ, proper, and legal departure from the afternoon/evening festivities.  There are some excellent gem and mineral shops, a small museum, an off-the-hook candy and fudge shop, and a host of eateries and watering holes within 2-3 blocks of the big 4-way intersection in town, so it's definitely laid out for parking the truck and ambling about for a spell. The very cool ghost town of Granite, MT is just 2 miles & 2,000' elevation upwards from downtown P'burg.

 

Departing P'burg for Skalkaho Pass, be advised I've never traveled MT 38 from Porter's Corner past Rock Creek Rd and on up to the pass from there. I hear it's nice and it's pavement all the way.  My recommendation, however, is to depart down the hill on Broadway, to MT-1 where you'll turn R to the north then immediately L to the west on well-marked MT 348.  MT 348 is paved and crests the John Long Mountains within a few miles of MT 1.  From just west of the pass is an awesome view of the upper Rock Creek valley with the Sapphires and the Bitterroots spread out for many miles both north and south.  MT 348 turns to gravel (ends as MT 348?) where it crosses Rock Creek but Rock Creek Rd to the south (up-canyon) is wide graded gravel to the south/southwest through a beautiful ranching valley, past the ultra High Luxe "Ranch at Rock Creek", to MT 38 just beyond. 

 

Hoping it all works out for you in June!

 

Foy

Edited by Foy, 04 March 2019 - 01:13 PM.