An opportunity for a one-day, three summits activation. A good US Forest Service road system gets one close enough to activate three summits easily in one day, rare in Western Montana. Babcock Mountain is forested summit. The other two summits, Golden Mountain (W7M/GA-141) and Burnt Mountain (W7M/GA-145) are open summits and accessible via short hikes from the same US Forest Service road system. Trees are available for attaching wire ante
One-day, three summits. A good US Forest Service road system gets one close enough to activate three summits easily in one day, rare in Western Montana. Burnt Mountain is an open grass/scattered-tree summit. The other two nearby summits are Golden Mountain (W7M/GA-141) and Babcock Mountain (W7M/GA-146). Both accessible v
One-day triple-summits activation. A good US Forest Service road system gets one close enough to activate three summits easily in one day, a bit rare in Western Montana. The other two summits, Burnt Mountain (W7M/GA-145) and Babcock Mountain (W7M/GA-146) are accessible via short hikes from the same US Forest Service road system.
At less than 4 miles of good road off Highway 93, Sula Peak is a popular ‘travelers’ summit for drive-up VHF DN25/DN35 and SOTA activations. A modern US Forest lookout and a communications facility occupy the summit. Frequently there are bighorn sheep grazing in the area and especially in the spring on the highway.
We selected the southern route for Elk Point. This southern route allows for a double activation with Sula Peak W7M/RC-138. This mostly open-ridgeline route has good views of distant Bitterroot Mountains, Anaconda Pintler Mountains and closer views of the Sapphire Mountains
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
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.
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