Petty-Crown Mountain traverse with bushwhack

 

The haze at the end of the hike shrouded Haystack Butte

Gordon Whirry on the bushwhack

Petty Creek

Gordon Whirry crossing Ford Creek on logs

Sunflowers lining the Benchmark Road point to Crown Mountain

The sky has been so deceiving this summer.

Looking out on the horizon in Great Falls there has been a pall of smoke with virtually no visibility.

But when we venture to the mountains that smoke seems to dissipate, if only into a veil of haze, and hiking is possible.

With this prolonged heat wave and drought, it's tough to decide when it's time to hike.

Sometimes you just have to go to the trailhead and decide whether it's worth breathing in the smoke and coping with the heat.

Saturday was such a day.

As we drove out to the Front it was as clear as it has been all summer.  There was blue sky!

We set out to do the Petty-Crown Mountain traverse that can begin on the Benchmark Road at the Double Falls Campground on Trail 244 or the Crown Mountain Trailhead on Whitewater Creek No. 270.  It's about a 10 mile roundtrip that gains and loses nearly 2,500 feet at the foot of Crown Mountain.

Crown Mountain, a beautiful Front peak is in view at various points along the hike as well as Haystack Butte.  It is possible to climb Crown Mountain has a sidetrip, if you have the energy.

We chose to begin the hike at Double Falls (also worth a side trip).  Once you've crossed a deep Ford Creek to get to the trailhead (there are logs and rocks in different spots) it's about 2.5 miles to the Petty Creek junction, at one point walking an open, grassy ridgeline.

 Then, our troubles began.

After crossing Petty Creek in an gorgeous meadow that would make a fabulous campsite, we followed the trail uphill and were presented with a path that split.  Instead of following the somewhat hidden Trail 232 sign to the right we followed a more obvious trail to the left, which although unmarked, had a clear path of cut logs.  We ignored the sign because we thought it led back to the creek bottom we had just emerged from.  

Mistake.  About an hour later we realized we were on a really good hunters' trail in the Canyon Creek burn we think connected with Forest Service Trail 238 from Jakie Creek.  When we realized our mistake, instead of turning around and retracing our steps we did a major bushwhack to pick up the Petty Creek trail.  We climbed over many dead trees and waded through endless buck brush.

It was then I realized that I had done something similar many years ago.

Advice:  follow the marked sign even if it goes against your instincts.

The rest of the hike was on routine trail that included about three more Petty Creek crossings until we reached  the No. 270 trail junction just below Crown Mountain .  I have to admit that it was a pull up Petty Creek and I was glad to travel downhill.

We enjoyed the many views along 270 and once we hit the Ford Creek bottom we had to walk about a mile back to our car at Double Falls.

This is a scenic and not a difficult hike if you follow the trail signs!