Bald hill isn’t really bald. It is a fine grassland on its south exposure, but is tree covered on the remaining west, north and east exposures. Access is available any time of year, albeit steep. It is prime winter range for 50-100 elk each year so avoiding December through February could prevent disturbing the elk.
You are entering bighorn sheep range in this summit’s area. Two trail options are available. Both are great trail hikes all the way to the summit. The dry environment of this area makes it a good early Spring or late Fall season hike. Wind can be challenging on the upper grassland
0.5 miles, +160 ft, -35 ft
This is a short hike to a rocky knob on the continental divide.
From the Bernice Exit on I-15 (Exit 151) between Boulder and Butte, take the Boulder River Road west as follows:
0.0 Exit I-15 at Bernice
Cinnabar Point is currently a mature lodgepole forest on a rolling summit. In the 1980s the summit sported a dilapidated pole tower structure that may have been used as a lookout, but has since fallen and rotted. It is an easy mountain bike ride up a permanently closed road and then a short climbing trail to an off-trail gradual assent to the summit.
East Crater is a peak in the Indian Heaven wilderness. Three years ago, the south side and ridgeline of East Crater were completely burned by a fire that ended up burning about 500 acres in the area, and this fire caused the evacuation of the entire Indian Heaven wilderness area in September of 2017. Not much has grown back on the south side, while the north side, essentially untouched by the fire, is thick with trees.
Mount Tiny is within the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness Area near Georgetown Lake. Mount Tiny is a great SOTA double with its neighbor Little Rainbow Mountain, W7M/BR-071.
Little Rainbow Mountain is within the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness Area. The summit provides excellent views of high mountain lakes and open alpine SOTA peaks. Little Rainbow is a great SOTA double with its neighbor Mount Tiny, W7M/BR-079
Three Lakes Peak is just within the Flathead Indian Reservation along the Reservation Divide. The summit has great views of the Confederate Salish-Kootenai Tribes land, the Flathead River, three alpine lakes, the Mission Mountains and the Ninemile Valley. A Flathead Reservation Use Permit is required.
Vermilion Peak is accessed via a moderately climbing trail in the southern Cabinet Mountains. It also makes an easy SOTA double when teamed up with Mount Headley, W7M/LO-018. The summit has fine views of nearby summits and distant peaks, like the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness Area.