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7029 Hits
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18 Votes
Page Type:
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Mountain/Rock |
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Lat/Lon:
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48.46510°N / 113.31003°W |
County:
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Glacier |
Activities:
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Hiking, Mountaineering |
Season:
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Summer, Fall |
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Elevation:
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7834 ft / 2388 m |
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Introducing The Mountain
 Bison Mountain from the descent route |
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Bison Mountain stands at 7,834 feet and is located in Two Medicine, Glacier National Park. Bison Mountain is usually done with a series of other mountains that surround it. There are plenty of different combinations that the climber can mix up with Bison. Though the mountain is higher than the famous Scenic Point and The Head, Medicine Peak towers over it. Medicine is the starting point of the Scenic Point Ridge Walk.
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If you want fantastic views of the eastern expanse of the park, an extensive exertion of energy and a summit to add to the list, Bison is a suitable mountain for you. Views from the summit have no limits except for the majority of the western landscape being obscured by Bison's neighbor Medicine Peak. Bison is a unique mountain mostly because its hardly visited by any people and has a great panorama of Two Medicine's behemoths Rising Wolf Mountain, Flinsch Peak and Red Mountain.
 The Grand Summit View |
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Getting There
Appistoki Peak from the trailhead
Scenic Point TrailheadGlacier National Park is located in northwestern Montana. Bison Mountain is located in the Two Medicine Valley in the southeastern corner of Glacier National Park. There are two ways to get to Two Medicine.
One way is through St. Mary's, Montana.
Drive on Highway 89 south to the Kiowa Junction. Then turn right on to Highway 49 and drive to the Two Medicine turnoff which is 9 miles. Approximately 8.5 miles from the Highway 49 Junction is the Scenic Point Trailhead.
Another way is from East Glacier, Montana.
First reach East Glacier, Montana on Highway 2. From there drive North for 4 miles to the Two Medicine turnoff on State Highway 49. From there its 8.5 miles from the Highway 49 junction to the Scenic Point Trailhead.
Red Tape
 Summit of Bison Mountain |
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Bison Mountain is located in Glacier National Park. This is bear country, so hike with bear spray and make lots of noise.
For current National Park Entrance fees.
See rules and regulations for Glacier National Park.
Route Information
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The route starts at 5,131 feet high at the Scenic Point Trailhead. From there you will hike past Appistoki Falls and begin coming out of the timberline. You switchback your way up to Point 7277 and go past the summit block and onto the saddle between that point and Point 7643. By that time Scenic Point will come into view. Continue on the trail which cuts into the side of Point 7643.
Once you're past Point 7643 you would've gone about 4.46 miles and around 7,237 feet in elevation. At that point Bison Mountain is in view and you leave the trail and head towards the next saddle between Point 7643 and Medicine Peak.
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From that point curve around the left side of Medicine Peak towards the saddle between Bison Mountain and Medicine. Once you reach the saddle you should be just over 7400 feet in elevation and have hiked 6.22 miles. From there walk another .27 miles up to the summit of Bison and enjoy the vista.
To descend simply backtrack your route, but if you want to continue to The Head see this page.
| Terrain | One-Way Mileage | Elevation Gain | |
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| Scenic Point Trail | 4.46 | 2106' | Off Trail | 2.03 | 496' | Total | 6.49 | 2602' |
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When To Climb and Weather
Weather in Two Medicine is known to be dangerous and unpredictable. The east side of the park is notorious for its high winds that can go up to 100 miles per hour. In some years there is record snowfall this year being one of them.Camping and Gear
The entire route on Bison Mountain is dry. Bring enough water for the trip. Hiking poles will aid in your ascent and descent of the mountain. If an early season climb is made an ice axe and crampons may be needed to cross snowfields. Just another view |  Clearing through the bush |
 One last look at our accomplishment |
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The park has a campground at Two Medicine Lake
Other options for camping include: GNP Campground Information, USFS Campgrounds, Camping on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation or East Glacier Campgrounds