Beargrass highlights an exceptional wildflower year

Blue Penstemon along the trail

The scarlet Indian Paintbrush was eye-catching

Just a glimpse of the Beargrass bloom at Rogers Pass

Our state flower, the Bitterroot 

The awesome summer sky

The Beargrass (lily) is lighting up the forests of western Montana in what has been an exceptional wildflower year.

Over the 4th of July weekend we saw beautiful Beargrass displays, but none better than on the east side of Rogers Pass, an hour's drive from Great Falls.

The Bitterroot is abundant now as well. 

It's past the Forget-me-not display, but lupine, varieties of penstemon, crazy weed, and Indian paintbrush varieties spangle the hillsides.

We spent the weekend between Lake 5 west of Glacier, with hikes to Stanton Lake, Buffalo Lakes, Marias Pass and Two Medicine, before taking a serious hike at Rogers Pass, which had the best wildflower display of all.

The holiday traffic to and from Glacier was not bad, but it was horrible along Highway 200.  Lincoln was an anthill of vacationers.  There must have been 100 folks at the new Cenex convenience store at Bowman's Corner.  Many were from the Indiana University summer geology program traveling from its Tobacco Roots HQs enroute to the Sun Canyon. 

We avoided the crowds on the trails by taking less traveled routes:  Dry Fork at Two Med, the CDT toward Elk Calf at Marias, and a stop at the Buffalo Lakes trailhead.  Stanton Lake's parking lot was full, but the trail did not seem crowded and we had a lake side spot all to ourselves.

I enjoyed the Rogers Pass hike most of all for the wildflowers variety.

At the parking lot we bumped into Gene and Linda Sentz from Choteau.  It was the second time our Rogers Pass hikes coincided.  

High summer is upon us.