Old and new: Alice Creek traverse, Patrol Mountain, state parks

On top Patrol Mountain 

Gordon Whirry at the colorful Patrol Mountain saddle.  See lookout above

The interesting Lewis and Clark Cavern

On Alice Creek one of the biggest blooms of Beargrass I had ever seen

 In spite of blistering heat, we've been getting out visiting numerous state parks for the first time, and doing old favorites like the Alice Creek Traverse and Patrol Mountain.

Katie has been visiting state parks for the past several years, and I've been tagging along.

Recently, that has meant a tour of the Anaconda area parks:  Lost Creek, the Anaconda Big Stack, and Granite Ghost Town.  On that trick we added the Elkhorn Ghost Town as well.  Then it was Lewis and Clark Caverns and Headwaters State Park.

I've been impressed that many of the parks offer hiking options.  I was particularly impressed by Lewis and Clark Caverns that has a variety of scenic trails available. The cavern itself is a two-mile walk that includes steep stairs.  I hadn't been to the caverns in more than 20 years and the trails outside the big cave was a pleasant surprise.

We had also been to Granite Ghost Town before, and when I lived in Helena, I visited regularly to climb Elkhorn and Crow peaks or cross country ski.  There has been considerable, positive development and refurbishment since I moved to Great Falls 45 years ago.  

For a small park, the Big Stack in Anaconda was a surprise for its innovation.  You can't get particularly close the stack, but the park consists of a footprint of the base of the Big Stack with well-done interpretive signage.  Great Falls, which lost its Big Stack in 1982, could certainly emulate this.

Likewise, it had been more than 40 years since a visit to the Headwaters park near BoI zeman, and I was impressed with its development and hiking trails and camping.  It is a beautiful place where the Missouri River is born of the conjunctions of the Madison, Gallatin and Jefferson rivers. 

Lost Creek, west of Warm Springs, is in a gorgeous canyon with a sizeable waterfall.

I hiked the Alice Creek Traverse near Lewis and Clark Pass on the Continental Divide to see the wildflower bloom, and I wasn't disappointed, particularly by the Beargrass.  There's no dout this is Beargrass year. I hiked the 11 miles counter-clockwise from the pass, and once I reached the crest of the divide west of the pass, I was surprised by the amount of Beargrass along the ridgeline.  The Beargrass was everywhere on the way down to Alice Creek, interspersed with the charred and fallen trees from the big fire there about 7 years ago. 

Samsara Chapman the Patrol Mountain Lookout ranger on trail 

Patrol Mountain is a real favorite, located within the Bob Marshall Wilderness, a 12-miler with a 3,300 feet gain and loss.  I've been doing this hike about 45 years, 24 of those to visit the Forest Service lookout ranger, Samsara Chapman. It was her day off, so we didn't meet her at the lookout cabin.  We were very surprised to bump into her coming up the trail as we were headed down.  

One other hike worth mentioning is a short trek at the Sluice Boxes State Park, as far as the new bridge. 

With all my hikes I've discovered that I've slowed way down and my strength isn't great.

But, hey, I'm still out there.