Montana Septembers

Riding out from the 320 Ranch

Although I have been heading out to southwestern Montana every winter to ski for more than a decade, and most of my family has relocated there, my summer visits are rarer. And therefore very special. I always make a point of getting into the mountains on horseback, the 320 Ranch has a laid back no frills vibe which is becoming increasingly rare (need a last minute bathroom, sure there is a rock behind the barn), great horses and stunning landscape to explore that abuts Yellowstone.

Our house isn’t far from the northwestern tip of Yellowstone so day hikes in are easy but I am always hesitant to join in the summer mayhem. But the shoulder season in Yellowstone is magic. In September the crowds taper off as camping, dining and all but the most essential amenities end leaving only the hardy behind.

And for the wildlife. October is truly the best as the park returns to them. I have been caught in the midst of a bison jam in the past, as hundreds of the behemoths traveled down the road. But campsites aren’t available and this was a priority, so we headed west in mid September. Due to the lessening crowds and our own flexibility were able to grab campsites last minute.

The Yellowstone River steams on a cold morning, Yellowstone National Park

There is a reason Yellowstone shuts down campsites in mid-September, while the days are comfortably in 70s, the nights in the teens, and the snow starts falling, this year on Sept 19 the day we left. But the frigid mornings in camp were worth it watching the steam rise off the rivers as they were far warmer than the air temperature and the frost on the wooly backs of the bison.

Frost gathers on a bisons back, Yellowstone National Park

This was my first visit to the otherworldly Mammoth Hot Springs. I am a huge geology geek and loved everything about the impossible nature of the forms, the wonder of what the earth is capable of and the speculation on how the bacteria in such springs may be the origins of life on this earth and thus other planets. Mammoths is a good reminder that even in these challenging times when we cannot travel widely, our own country holds many exotic and otherworldly wonders which I still want to explore.

Mammoth Hot Springs

We walked the boardwalk over the dome and many turquoise and rust colored pools as golden hour fell and then blue hour snuck in at the spring, listening to the bull elk bugle to his harem down in the village bellow as the distant arid hills remained illuminated golden and sage green in the last light of the day. The colors of Montana are a wonder; luminous golds, faded pallets of soothing greens, rusted reds, and blues that feel absolutely elemental, all put the heart at ease as if the tempered colors are what we need to relax. I am an ocean girl born and bred but I think wherever you come from there is something about Big Sky country which compels and soothes the heart, and it is as much the colors as it is the mythology of the west.

Avalanche Lake, Glacier National Park

This trip marked my first visit to Glacier and Whitefish but not my last. I always have high expectations in Montana, everything is wild, extreme, and challenging in the best sense, but Glacier surpassed everything. The spires transport to the Alps or the Dolomites, impossibly sharp and stark. The fire season this year was terrible, as evidenced by smoke engulfing the entire country. Our first days in Glacier were full of choking smoke and a yellow haze, but heavy rains dampened the fire, cleared the air and brought magical clouds which hid and revealed spires, cliffs and tree covered slopes which hung thousands of feet above us or below us as if we were in a science fiction world of floating mountains as we climbed up the famous Going to the Sun Road.

hiking the Highline Trail, Glacier National Park

With the air cleared we took on the Highline Trail which follows the Continental Divide out of Logans Pass, the highest point on the Going to the Sun Road to one of the two remaining huts in the park, the Granite Peak Chalet. The trail is hung precariously under the western side of the cliffs and peaks, at times with a thousand foot fall below you at other times more gradually on a slope. Past the halfway point the crowds abated and by the time we were returning the trail was mostly empty allowing for speed. The animal sightings, along with epic views, were constant. We saw mountain goats, big horn sheep (who helpfully knocked rocks off onto the trail,) cheeky little pika who ran underfoot, and loudly whistling marmots. But most of all it was the views of the valleys which emerged from the clouds and the ominous spires and peaks not far above us which won the prize. I hope to return someday and stay at the Chalet which is very much in the European refuge style.

We also hiked to St Mary’s Falls and Avalanche Lake, sticking to mellower hikes for the rest of the trip as my back had unfortunately decided to blow up. Hidden Lake trail was closed the entire visit due to bear frequenting so that’s saved for next time as it traverses a surreal high alpine landscape.

hiking the Highline Trail, Glacier National Park

the Granite Park Chalet on the Highline Trail, Glacier National Park

After hiking the Highline we completed the drive across Glacier coming out the east gate at the St Mary’s Visitor Center which has considerably less amenities than the West Entrance where we had camped for our entire stay at the Apgar Campground. The end of season nature of things caught up with us, but we found that the Under Canvas back in Coram had a tent available as it was their last night of the season. Although beat, we drove the 3 hours across the open range of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation and the southern edge of Glacier back to West Glacier. At Under Canvas we were greeted with warm tea, lovely beds and hot showers. It was a perfect way to close out the amazing stay in Glacier and the next morning, after stretching on the yoga mats they provided, we grabbed coffee at the Montana Coffee Traders in Columbia Falls, a wonderful local group of coffee and breakfast shops.

bison gather for safety, Yellowstone National Park

Back in Big Sky we hit all the local essentials, checking on the progress of the new Swift Current Chair being installed at the mountain, hitting the Big Sky Wednesday Farmers Market for live music and good eats, shopping at Alaina and Josh’s amazing store, Montana Supply Co, and grabbing beers at Beehive Basin Brewery. My irritated back wouldn’t allow for the usual hike up the phenomenal Beehive Basin trail, so next year. Although our swim at Chico Hot Springs had helped somewhat, camping in freezing temperatures had not so, we leaned into chilling out our last few days, a hardship to be sure. We ate at the local, the Riverhouse, enjoying the outdoor set up, and the now rather highbrow but still delicious, Buck T4s. All in all an amazing way to round out good times in the mountains. Our last morning at the local bakery snow flies landed kamikaze style in my cinnamon bun one after another, the air was thick with their fluffy white bottoms. And sure enough the next day as our plane wheels touched down in Boston snow fell on Lone Mountain peak. And so my daydreaming immediately pivoted to carving deep creamy turns and my imminent return to Montana when she is blanketed under her sparkling cloak of white. Western Montana is one of those magical places which is a wonderland in all season and I feel fortunate to know her.