| Peak 8295-- Blindhorse Peak Mountain/Rock |
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| Peak 8295-- Blindhorse Peak   | 
| Page Type: Mountain/Rock Location: Montana, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 47.96720°N / 112.72685°W Activities: Mountaineering Season: Spring, Summer, Fall Elevation: 8295 ft / 2528 m | Page By: Bob Sihler Created/Edited: Aug 26, 2009 / Aug 26, 2009 Object ID: 545425 Hits: 205 Loading... Page Score: 89.09% - 17 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
Like the Teton Range and the east face of the Sierra Nevada, Montana's Rocky Mountain Front is one of those ranges that bursts from the plains below with few or no intervening foothills.
At their western end, the High Plains of North-Central Montana meet an abrupt and dramatic end: the Rocky Mountain Front, which rises suddenly and precipitously and guards the interior of a vast sea of mountain wilderness filled with little-known ranges, wild rivers, and the wildlife that once roamed most of the West and here finds one of its last and best places of refuge. This is Bob Marshall Country. Nearby Ear Mountain is especially notable; the plains at its base are the last place in the United States where grizzlies still descend from the mountains to patrol the High Plains. This is a special place; treat it well. It is truly about the mountains and the wilderness here.
North of the Teton River, there is a chain of five distinct peaks, only one of which has an official name, all interconnected by the same ridge system. These peaks are easily seen from U.S. 89 and from Teton Canyon Road, which accesses these and other mountains in the area.
The first of these peaks, from south to north, is Choteau Mountain, and it is the only officially named one of the group. The next one north of it is the higher and more challenging North Choteau Mountain. Peak 8295, which I am calling "Blindhorse Peak" because the head of one of the source tributaries of Blindhorse Creek is directly east of and below it, is the next one north of North Choteau Mountain. These peaks are all part of the Sawtooth Range, a subset of the Rocky Mountain Front named for the jagged appearance of many of its peaks.
It is always questionable whether one should make a page for an unnamed peak, but the following factors make this page worthy of one:
• Its position at the edge of the Great Plains makes it very prominently seen from major roads, thus drawing attention to it.
• It has the prominence from its closest higher neighbor-- just slightly more than enough-- to qualify as a separate peak.
• It has two outstanding features-- a highly exposed summit ridge, especially on its south side, and a sheer east face that has an unbroken vertical drop of about 500 feet and a full drop of about twice that.
• A climb of this peak is a (long) day trip but takes one deep into remote mountain wilderness.
• The Northern U.S. Rockies-- the ranges of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming-- are full of unnamed peaks; in fact, in ranges such as the Rocky Mountain Front and the Bitterroots, just to name two, there are probably more unnamed peaks than named ones.
Getting There
About five miles north of Choteau, look for a road indicating fishing and skiing access (for Eureka Lake and the Teton Pass Winter Sports Area) and heading west. Take this road. 17 miles along, a road will branch left, cross the river, and become gravel. DO NOT take this road. Instead, stay straight, and the road will soon turn to gravel (well-maintained and probably passable even to a Corvette), enter the mountains, and take you through some gorgeous mountain scenery that almost no one outside Montana knows is there. The parking area for Jones Creek Trail is 8 miles from the intersection and is signed.
Route Information
I strongly recommend having the USGS Cave Mountain quad, but below is a section with diagrams added.
Distance to the summit is almost 5 miles and involves an elevation gain of approximately 2950'. About 2150' of that is over just 1.25 mi. The difficulty does not exceed Class 2; this was the only thing I found disappointing about this climb!
You are going to access this mountain via the Jones Creek drainage. It is possible to hike the Jones Creek Trail to get there, but be forewarned that in the two miles of hiking it takes to reach the bed of the drainage via the trail, you are going to needlessly climb about 300 extra feet, which you will also have to climb on the return. It is easier and more direct to hike 0.1 mi back south from the parking area to where the very wide, very obvious Jones Creek drainage intersects the road (technically, it goes under the road via culverts) and begin your route from there.
For the most part, the drainage is wide and open and easy to follow. There are some narrow, brushy sections near the lower end, but I did not encounter anything beyond easy bushwhacking, and I even found an old trail in places. Remember to make noise and be alert in these sections; I met a large black bear foraging for food about 20 yards away from me and fortunately heard and saw it before it heard or saw me.
After you have traveled about 2 miles, you might notice some cairns here and there. These mark the Jones Creek National Recreation Trail, which has just descended from a ridge to the west into the drainage. Don't worry when the cairns disappear; you cannot get lost out here. Just enjoy the fine mountain scenery as you head up this beautiful basin.
What you need to be looking for is a fork a little past 3 miles in. The fork soon bends sharply east and becomes a steep drainage between Peaks 8295 and 8413. Shortly after starting up this drainage, gain the wooded ridge to your left; this is the peak's southwest ridge. This "real" climbing begins at about 6100'. The bushwhacking does not last long and is not bad at all.
From here, simply follow this steep ridge to timberline and then up talus, sometimes very loose, to the summit ridge at close to 8200'. Follow this Class 2 but very exposed ridge the rest of the way to the summit, where there is a small cairn and no register. I repeat: the ridge is very exposed. It is no El Capitan; if you fall off, you will fall only about 500 unbroken feet, followed by rolling and tumbling about another 500', so you might still be recognizable to those who know you very, very well.
The distance from the base of the SW ridge to the summit is about 1.2 mi, so although the ascent of 2200' will not challenge your climbing skills, it will test your lungs and thighs.
You can make a fast descent by descending the north ridge toward the saddle between Peaks 8295 and 8333 and working into the drainage below that saddle. I found very little brush and deadfall (these, especially the latter, can change yearly, though) in the lower sections of the drainage, and the upper section consisted of a lot of loose scree. All that loose rock would not make for a pleasant ascent route, though.
Red Tape
You are in bear country and one of the best places in the world to encounter grizzlies. Know proper techniques for food storage, and know how to behave if you encounter any bear. Carrying pepper spray is a good idea, but make sure you have tested it and know how to use it. Above all, don't do anything stupid to or around the bears. Don't become a statistic and/or one of those idiots responsible for yet another dead bear.
Just because it is grizzly country, do not disrespect or underestimate the black bears. They are just as capable of seriously injuring or killing you!
Camping and Lodging
There is a campground at Cave Mountain Recreation Area, between the Clary Coulee and Jones Creek trailheads; the fee is $6 per night. There are water pumps there, but I have never stayed there and do not know if they work. You can also backpack in, sleep in your car at the trailhead, or use a dispersed camping site.
You could also stay at a motel in Choteau. It should take you 60-90 minutes to drive from there to the trailhead. Images
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Bob Marshall Country
