Montana trip planning

[Tahoems]

Hey guys, just thought I'd drop a line here as I am taking meticulous notes on your recommendations here. Taking a 2 week honeymoon road trip from NV to MT with no set plans yet. Hot springs for sure. Maybe a few nights at a swanky hotel with some roughing it in between. Maybe a couple days at Flathead lake? I have some AAA maps on the way to scribble a rough itinerary onto. Butler map on order too. Would like to Glacier and Yellowstone but I'm very wary of crowds. Getting lost in the wilderness is our real cup of tea. Maybe mill about in the Bozeman area too. Been there once long time ago.

Any thanks in advance for the info I'm putting it all on a map to see what sticks.

 

[kmcintyre]

Thanks wcj.

I now recall reading about the too-hot water incident and the death of a dog but I did not recall it was at Panther Creek HS. Thanks for the tips about its washed out status.

Excepting flying in to and out of Bozeman on certain dates and spending a couple of nights in Philipsburg, our plans are still evolving. We may or may not head down to Salmon for an overnight or two. If we do, we'll either venture over to Horse Creek or might take the easy way and stop at Sharkey's on the way in or out of Salmon.

We've never been to JJ or Wier but on this trip we won't likely get that far north/west. One of these days...............

Our trip into the Centennial Valley and Elk Lake in 2015 had us entering from Monida, so as nice as that is, we're looking for a different way in. Thanks for the suggestion on the Blacktail route. Maybe we can stop by Antone Cabin to check it out--staying there has been an intriguing thought for a few years.

Fuel, fuel, fuel......we'll be in a rental of presently unknown nature/fuel burn rate, and fuel capacity, and we're acutely aware of the planning requirements which the total absence of fuel east of I-15, south of Dillon/Virginia City, and west of US 20 dictates. I am planning to run over to Island Park, ID on the day before departure from Elk Lake back towards Bozeman to get fuel, and maybe to hike over to Brower's Spring from the Sawtelle Peak Observatory road. That looks like a pretty straightforward hike, short in distance, and light in elevation gains/losses. Gotta get comfortable with being in grizzly country and pack a couple cans of spray, and perhaps tell a lie to my wife.

I have all of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF base maps and will certainly snag a 2018 MVUM over the summer's course.

The hike to the Black Butte summit from the Gravelly Range Road looks fairly straightforward--all above timberline, about 1,000' of elevation gain. Any thoughts or suggestions about that?

As our plans become more defined, I'll let you know when we plan to pass through Dillon. And even if we don't overnight, we simply must pass through Dillon inasmuch as it's the setting for so many fond memories of the last 4 decades of our lives. And we must have some Taco Bus fare washed down with cane sugar soda!

Thanks again for the tips.

Foy

The Gravelly Range is awesome and the roads were in great shape last year when we drove up there, camped for 5-6 days and mountain biked everywhere. The road goes right by Black Butte and there are some great campsites nearby (where we camped). I don't know about access to the trail up BB as we didn't do it.

 

[knoxswift]

Also on my way to MT in September. Flathead Lake. Not to far from Phillipsburg. Bringing motorcycles. Have the Butler maps....but please keep the ideas coming. PM me if anyone wants to camp Flathead lake and do some motorcycle miles?

 

[Tahoems]

Also on my way to MT in September. Flathead Lake. Not to far from Phillipsburg. Bringing motorcycles. Have the Butler maps....but please keep the ideas coming. PM me if anyone wants to camp Flathead lake and do some motorcycle miles?

Do you know what the scene is like at Flathead Lake? Camping nearby or far? Beaches or need a boat? Lodging? I can't envision it.

 

[knoxswift]

Flathead lake is the biggest in MT about 100miles north of Missoula and 50 miles south of Glacier National Park.

All the campsites I've looked into "ON" Flathead Lake in September go into a First come First serve mode. (Called the state park and they confirmed that's the case).
I will be "Winging" it.
There are 3 state parks on the lake shores and one by boat only but that one closes in September.

The southern half my understanding is part of Indian Reservations so can't camp there without permit.I don't know how difficult it is to get permits but figured better to just stick with State Parks than try to boondock in reservation areas.

I'm also told there may be boondocking allowed in the BlackTail Mountain area, outside the reservations still researching that.

Was following this topic to get some ideas where to look for possible boondocking sites.

 

[Foy]

Also on my way to MT in September. Flathead Lake. Not to far from Phillipsburg. Bringing motorcycles. Have the Butler maps....but please keep the ideas coming. PM me if anyone wants to camp Flathead lake and do some motorcycle miles?

The Butler map is nice and it's useful for big-picture planning. An even more useful tool is the Montana edition of Benchmark's Road and Recreation Atlas. I wouldn't leave home without mine.

Foy

 

[hoyden]

Awesome, Foy!!!!

 

[knoxswift]

I do have the Benchmark Atlas might be 2 years old now though. I'll have to check out Recreation Atlas...

 

[Foy]

What is it they say about "best laid plans"? Now the wildfire season seems to have awakened in southwestern Montana.

We'd just recently been able to snag a place to spend a couple of nights in the Grasshopper Valley and were planning to visit Twin Lakes in the Big Hole when the Goldstone fire blew up in the last few days. Not much containment as of late yesterday. The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is re-routed 75 to 80 all shade-less road miles from Lemhi Pass to Miner Lakes, through Bannack, as of the present. The motto of CDT through-hikers is "embrace the brutality" and circumstances such as these are among the reasons.

I'd just gotten the final time-distance-fuel requirements ciphering done on the > 200 mile Dillon-Blacktail-Centennial Valley-Elk Lake Lodge-Gravelly Range Road/Black Butte summit/Ennis traverse when the Monument and Wigwam fires blew up. Neither reports significant containment as of yesterday, and the Gravelly Range Road (my preferred exit from the Centennial Valley) is closed between Black Butte and Ennis. Hopefully I'll be able to cut over to the Ruby River drainage south of Black Butte and still get in the southern half of the Gravelly Range Road.

I am uncomfortably recalling last year's Sapphire Complex fires in our beloved Rock Creek Canyon and how it went largely uncontrolled from the initial lightning strikes in mid-July until a single rain and snow event in late September/early October doused it in one 24 hour period.

Looks like the very end of June and first couple of weeks of July remains the "sweet spot" for high-elevation parts of Montana. Any time between mid-July and when the snow starts flying is a crapshoot in the planning sense.

Down in Idaho, the Rabbits Foot fire is pretty ominous just west of Gold Bug Hot Spring (N-NW of Challis) but the Reynolds Lake fire near Horse Creek Hot Spring shows fully contained.

I most certainly hope for the safety of and the best of outcomes for firefighters and residents. Disruption of my personal playtime is meaningless in comparison to wildfires' real impact on the folks who live out there.

Foy

 

[Tahoems]

What is it they say about "best laid plans"? Now the wildfire season seems to have awakened in southwestern Montana.

We'd just recently been able to snag a place to spend a couple of nights in the Grasshopper Valley and were planning to visit Twin Lakes in the Big Hole when the Goldstone fire blew up in the last few days. Not much containment as of late yesterday. The Continental Divide Trail (CDT) is re-routed 75 to 80 all shade-less road miles from Lemhi Pass to Miner Lakes, through Bannack, as of the present. The motto of CDT through-hikers is "embrace the brutality" and circumstances such as these are among the reasons.

I'd just gotten the final time-distance-fuel requirements ciphering done on the > 200 mile Dillon-Blacktail-Centennial Valley-Elk Lake Lodge-Gravelly Range Road/Black Butte summit/Ennis traverse when the Monument and Wigwam fires blew up. Neither reports significant containment as of yesterday, and the Gravelly Range Road (my preferred exit from the Centennial Valley) is closed between Black Butte and Ennis. Hopefully I'll be able to cut over to the Ruby River drainage south of Black Butte and still get in the southern half of the Gravelly Range Road.

I am uncomfortably recalling last year's Sapphire Complex fires in our beloved Rock Creek Canyon and how it went largely uncontrolled from the initial lightning strikes in mid-July until a single rain and snow event in late September/early October doused it in one 24 hour period.

Looks like the very end of June and first couple of weeks of July remains the "sweet spot" for high-elevation parts of Montana. Any time between mid-July and when the snow starts flying is a crapshoot in the planning sense.

Down in Idaho, the Rabbits Foot fire is pretty ominous just west of Gold Bug Hot Spring (N-NW of Challis) but the Reynolds Lake fire near Horse Creek Hot Spring shows fully contained.

I most certainly hope for the safety of and the best of outcomes for firefighters and residents. Disruption of my personal playtime is meaningless in comparison to wildfires' real impact on the folks who live out there.

Foy

Just spent 2 weeks up there escaping CA and NV smoke. Hit Red Rock Pass- Centennial Valley-Elk Lake Lodge-Gravelly Range Road/Black Butte summit and exit to the east been put on some road miles on to Yosemite and Glacier and then back through Idaho Highway 12. We admired the clear air hearing reports from home. I hope things clear out around there.

The drive out of Centennial Valley up Gravelly Range Road was interesting but perfectly fine at a slow pace. Slow going cow pasture land. Never saw soul. What's up at elevation the road turn to a highly maintained Gravel Road where you can make good time and saw a few others driving around. Amazing views from the top. I was a little worried about where I was going and gas however I still had enough in the tank to drive through all of Yellowstone so we were in good shape.

Anyway I picked up the recommendation from someone here and thought I'd pass along the feedback. Looks like I got to get out explore more of that area someday.

 

[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!

 

[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