Rierdon Gulch in the Bob, Rogers at sunset, King's Hill

A brisk, wet beginning 

In the open

On the high point

Walking the ridge above Slim Gulch

Ear Mountain's west face

On the return

There's hardly any more scenic, accessible hike in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area than Rierdon Gulch off the South Fork of the Teton River Road west of Choteau.

We did an out and back 12-mile trip on Saturday that included an off-trail climb of an unnamed 8,230 feet high point along a ridge line to the east, gaining about 3,200 feet along the way.  The hike was enhanced by an exceptional display of summer wildflowers.

Trail No. 126 starts just off the road and includes a brisk, calf-deep crossing of the rocky and washed out South Fork, followed by Rierdon Creek, which was hammered by historic flooding a couple of years ago.

The trail crosses a ridge and climbs steadily before crossing that ridge again and descending into the creek bottom, where, after a crossing opens up, revealing a breath-taking amphitheater of high ridges similar to the Chinese Wall on both sides of the creek.

A wildflower feast

The trail begins climbing again toward a high saddle that separates the gulch and Slim Gulch on the other side, a climb to 7,500 feet, a gain of 2,400 feet from the trailhead.

It was there we made the best decision of the day:  to climb the ridge to the east above the saddle, some 500 feet steeply and directly above us.

The climb reveals some of the best scenery on the Rocky Mountain Front, and that's saying something.

To the east is Ear Mountain's seldom-seen western flank.  From our vantage point we could see the gulch used by climbers to reach the top.  It looks impossibly steep and treacherous.

To the south, the high peaks of the southern Front, including Castle Reef, Mortimer, Arsenic, Sawtooth and all the way to Scapegoat.

To the north and west Old Baldy, Teton, Lockhart, Wright.

Walking the ridge to the high point was thrilling, reminiscent of the scenic Washboard Reef traverse from Teton Pass.

Despite this being the last week of July we enjoyed almost shockingly green vegetation that was thickly carpeted in spots with scarlet and light red Indian Paintbrush flowers, interspersed with lupine, sticky geranium, stone crop, various buckwheat species, occasional giant gentian and blue gentian.

The Forest Service continues to improve this trail that gets hammered by spring flooding from snow melt.

This hike can be part of larger loops that include Green Gulch or the preferable South Fork Teton head.

Rodgers Peak as the sun sets

I accompanied my wife's hiking group to Rodgers Peak above Rogers Pass one evening the past week, climbing straight up the ridge line from the highway.  She was taking her group up to see the bitterroot in bloom.

I left them at a saddle below the peak and got to sit on the peak as the sun began to set, enjoying the shadows on the Continental Divide's small high points.  The buttes of the Great Plains to the east were cast in the soft light of the darkening sky.  I could see Holter Lake below the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness Area, and to the west, the endless peaks of western Montana.

We were treated to ripe huckleberries down the CDT back to the car.

Quick trip up King's Hill in Little Belts

We kicked out the kinks from my Rierdon Gulch hike (and Katie's Alice Basin traverse) with a quick trip up Kings Hill Mountain in search of bitterroot.

Unfortunately, all we found were fields of Parrot's Beak Lousewart flowers on the top.  We took the Deadman Road up, and came down on a snowmobile trail back to the pass.