Most people don’t choose to live in the Bitterroot Valley for the great jobs and the economy. They live here because of the lifestyle afforded by being surrounded by mountains and wilderness. The mountains and wilderness are the attraction for the large number of visitors to the Bitterroot Valley as well.
Most all hikers and backpackers dream of week long trips into the mountains but work and other obligations usually keep such trips to a minimum for most people. Consequently, day hikes are the norm for many. I decided to chronicle five of my favorite day hikes in the Bitterroot Mountains, west of the Bitterroot Valley. I will look at hikes in the Sapphire Mountains in a future post.
Deciding on five favorites was no easy task. You may disagree with my choices. Feel free to comment on your favorites. Of course, being a fly fisherman factored into my decisions. I left off Ward Mountain and St. Mary’s Peak because there isn’t a fishing location along the trail. Those two day hikes would make the top five for many hikers, though, and the views are certainly worth the effort.
My Top 5 Day Hikes
- Baker Lake Trail: This is a steep hike but the trail is well defined and the lake is only about one and a half miles from the trailhead. The alpine setting is breathtaking and the fishing can be superb. You can also continue on to Middle and Gem Lakes. The trip to Gem Lake is well worth the effort as Gem Lake lives up to it’s name. The side trip to Gem Lake is less than a mile.
- Mill Creek Trail: Now, I may be biased on this one as the trailhead is so close to my home. In my defense, this is a well defined trail with minimal elevation changes and some excellent picnic destination locations. About 3 miles in there is a waterfall above a deep pool that kids and pets can refresh in with a dip. This is a good spot for a trail lunch.
- Bear Creek Trail: Bear Creek is an easy trail that gets heavy use. I prefer to avoid this trail on weekends. It is a wonderful hike and has excellent access to the creek in several places. There are terrific picnic locations near the falls about 1.5 miles from the trailhead. Bear Creek offers good fishing and beautiful scenery.
- Camas Lakes Trail: You can hike to several lakes from the trailhead. There are some short, steep climbs but overall the trail is easy. There is a junction to Kidney Lake a little over two miles in and the lake is about a mile down that junction. Lower Camas Lake isn’t far beyond the Kidney Lake junction. Middle Lake comes next and Upper Camas Lake is a little short of 4 miles from the trailhead. All four of the lakes offer good fishing and campsite spots for those who chose to stay.
- Sawtooth Creek Trail: The trail swings around Goat Mountain and is not very interesting for the first 2 miles. At 3 miles the trail crosses Sawtooth Creek on a log (you can wade in low water) and begins to become faint and hard to follow. There is good access to the creek, which holds good numbers of Westslope Cutthroat trout. There are also acres of mountain huckleberry patches through this section. You can begin finding huckleberries at about two miles from the trailhead and continue finding large patches until the trail enters some boulder fields about 5 miles from the trailhead.
One of the joys of living in the Bitterroot Valley is the opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds it. Take the time out to explore your surroundings. We only have this one life, so, get out and enjoy your life to the fullest.
Happy Hiking!!!
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