Mountain Misfits

Waterworks Hill up the Randolph Homestead

Waterworks Hill panorama

Waterworks Hill lies to the northeast of Missoula, and it sports a nice network of trails over and around its grassy slopes. The hike to the “summit” (you can’t call it a summit, can you?) is a quick one mile and around 700 feet up, but the real fun is in extending your trek to the Randolph Homestead to the northwest and circling back via the trail to cuts along the mid-slope. From are the views of Missoula are great, and if you are lucky, you may catch a locomotive engine on the turnstile down in the train yard.

Glacial Lake Missoula Ripples at Camas Prairie, Montana during winter

Glacial Lake Missoula Ripples at Camas Prairie, Montana during winter admin March 6, 2018 Geology The giant ripples across Camas Prairie are unique parallel ridges that have an average height of 13-30 feet. The Camas Prairie ripple marks were formed as the deep and swiftly flowing water from Glacial Lake Missoula raced through the failed […]

West Fork Fish Creek to the Cathedral of Cedars

West Fork Fish Creek to the Cathedral of Cedars admin August 20, 2017 HIking 2017 Looking for a cool hike on a hot summer day? The West Fork Fish Creek starts out hot as we hiked through the blackened spires from the 2015 burn. But eventually, we reach the Cathedral of Cedars where towering western […]

Awesome Spring Hike – Bear Creek Falls

Vida chilling over Bear Creek

Taking full advantage of the terrific spring weather on Saturday, we hiked to and beyond Bear Creek Falls on the Bitterroots. Only a short and relatively easy 1.5 miles from the trailhead, Bear Creek Falls is one of the most picturesque waterfalls in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana.

Spring Arrives in the Rockies

Turkeys marching in the Morning

Spring Arrives in the Rockies admin March 6, 2017 Birding This past weekend was definitely the start of the Montana spring with sun, rain, and snow…you know, spring in the Bitterroot. The Lee Metcalf NWR was alive with Great Horned Owls hooting and Red-winged Blackbirds carrying on.https://youtu.be/wf5vWRJJbbY Turkeys marching in the Morning

First Wildflower of 2017 – Sagebrush Buttercup

Sagebrush Buttercup - Ranunculus glaberrimus

Woke up this morning with a vision of a buttercup in the snow. I rushed out to Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge, and intensely survey the areas under ponderosa pine. And what did I find? That’s right a Sagebrush Buttercup, and as one of our earliest bloomers, it is generally my first wildflower of the year.

Bass Creek Falls Hike – Winter Edition

We did this hike last year, but with considerably less snow. It has really dumped this year in the Bitterroot Mountains, and the Bass Creek drainage is under a blanket of the white stuff. Were we deterred? Oh hell no