AE7AP's blog

This is a very nice hike (3.3 Miles, 2,900 ft.)

Drive west from Augusta towards Nilan Reservoir and Benchmark.  Continue for 14-miles, turning right (Northerly) on the Willow Creek road towards Gibson Reservoir.  Continue another 1.2 miles and turn left immediately after passing Scoutana – an old Girl Scout Camp.  The turn is also signed as “USFS Administrative Site”.  Follow this road and park where it is blocked by a gate.

This is a very nice hike (1.0 Miles, 690 ft.)

This is a nice spring hike on good trails.  To get there from Missoula:

Crown Butte is one of several laccoliths that protrude from the prairie south west of Great Falls.  It is the smaller cousin of the nearby Square Butte, which figures so famously in Charlie Russell paintings.  The butte is primarily owned by the Nature Conservancy, as a preserve

This is a pleasant, short hike that is accessible by most vehicles.  The summit is an open, broad knoll that offers nice views in all directions.   There is an exceptional profusion of Bitterroots (the Montana state flower) on the sum

This is a pleasant, short hike that is clear of snow early in the spring.  The approach is on a dirt road that while suitable for most cars, may be impassible when snowy or muddy.

This is a drive-up to an old USFS fire lookout that should be accessible to most vehicles, although the road is somewhat rutted.  There is a picnic table located on the spacious, forested summit that makes for a comfortable operating position.  The road is closed to vehicles fr

2-Miles, +950 feet

Follow Head Lane north into the Scratchgravel Hills until it reaches a BLM pullout/parking area/trailhead. Continue north past the gate on the old 2-track, turning right (Easterly) when it reaches the low saddle. Continue following the 2-track easterly, and eventually southerly as it climbs to the summit. The summit is very pleasant, with a nice level clearing amongst the scattered pines, and fine views of the city to the south.

This unobtrusive summit offers a quiet, easily accessible QTH that may be conveniently accessed via the popular "Helena Ridge Trail". The Helena ridge trail is a scenic 7 mile ridge trail that connects from the trailhead at Park City to Mount Helena City Park (and on into downtown Helena). The trail is excellent for hiking or biking, and there is ample parking at the Park City trailhead. Follow the trail from the parking lot as it cuts up and around the north slope and eastern shoulder of the hill that overlooks the parking lot.