Let's keep it going....Slide Rock Recommended Wilderness (Quigg Peak area)
Butte Cabin Ridge Loop. Start out by driving up Rock Creek and then hiking up Butte Cabin Creek. The last time I was here was on snowshoes to climb the peak maybe ten years ago, so it was good to come back again. Now, some folks may just want to hike the whole loop in a really long day, its about 18 miles, but I wanted to spend some quality time up there, as is the habit lately. Problem is, no good water sources up on the ridge that I am aware of, therefore, before the final ascent, I loaded up with 8 liters of water to last 2 nights (ugh). Nice ridge camp on the first night. Second day I went up the 3 Quigg peaks: Quigg Peak 8419, East Quigg 8468 (prominence 2548), and East-er Quigg 8309. Side note: to me, a name like Quigg, with a Q in it, is more interesting than the name Butte Cabin Ridge, so I'm sticking with that. Those peaks were nice, and I finished up that pretty casual day by finding a camp a couple miles north on the Butte Cabin Ridge. Last day is just continuing along the ridge and back to the trailhead. The trail up the creek and all the way to Quigg Peak is freshly maintained, the rest not so much, but its not bad. There is a bunch of burn up there unfortunately, but also a feeling that it does not see a whole lot of hiker action. Overall I think its a pretty nice place and I'm glad I went.
Here's another nice loop you can do that takes you to some remote country near the highest peaks of the Sapphire Range (Fox, Congdon, Kent), which you can climb if you haven't already. Several options are available, but I started at Frogpond Basin and proceeded to hike west and north on the Sapphire Crest Trail #313, with one camp at Shadow Lake and then a high camp north of Kent Peak. The scenery is pretty darn fine, according to me. A bit past Jerry Lake turn east and drop down Congdon Creek trail #8018, which was the only part of the loop that was not maintained recently, but it wasn't too terrible. A third and final camp at Medicine Lake is very nice, even though it has ATV access. Lots of ducks there; moose and elk too. Return to the trailhead on the last day by dropping down #8161 to the Ross Fork of Rock Creek, and then heading up the South Fork on #8162 and back to your vehicle. Some notes: Maybe add a night to have more time to explore and climb peaks. Before going there was some concern about the trail conditions where #313 drops down Skalkaho Creek below Trout/Kent Lakes and then climbs back up the NW shoulder of Kent Peak. Rest assured, as it has been de-logged this year! And its a good thing, because if not, I imagine one could end up creating a whole new batch of profanity that's never been heard before. About 32 miles total; not too easy, not too hard, but somewhat rugged in places. I did not see a single other person on this hike. Survey Says: Protect and keep this wild and wonderful place as a Wilderness
2012, '15, '22. Highpoint of the Welcome Creek Wilderness. Its pretty close to town and its fairly pleasant so you should hike up there sometime. Gonna have to hop some logs though
Here is a little 3 day/25 mile loop tour featuring a section of the sometimes spectacular Sapphire Crest Trail #313: The Burnt Fork Loop. Although the trail was surprisingly in great shape the whole way except for an extremely bad half mile section at the head of Moose Creek along the crest, it would be good to get more people hiking around here to make sure the trails stay open. Start out by driving up the Burnt Fork to the end of the road (the last few miles past the Gold Creek campground to the trailhead have gotten much worse in recent years!). First day just hike on up to Burnt Fork Lake and set up camp. Second day continue up trail #321 to #44 to #86 to #313, going over Peak 8399 and Dome Shaped Mountain in the process. IMO this was the best part of the trip, and there are some decent views. There are some ponds about 1-2 miles north of DSM on the east side of the crest that you can drop down to for water to bring back up to a high camp along the ridge. Last day continue north along the crest and you will reach the really nasty section of blowdown from an old fire. Be patient, use your trail finding skills to make your way through this part. Its definitely a little bit of a challenge. Thankfully, the trail crews seem to have been working on this area recently, and may even cut it all the way through in the near future. (Its really bad, and lots of hard work, so-thanks!) Continue over Eagle Point and then drop back down to the Burnt Fork on #147. No, its not an official wilderness, but I think you may be surprised at how wild and rugged and remote this hike feels!
By my count, I have reached 83 different summits in the Sapphire Mountains so far (including the John Longs). I really enjoy the solitude here, especially in winter. Plenty of great backroad driving, too! Lots more left to explore! An often overlooked range.
On 8/27/14, I was lucky enough to be able to fly a tandem paraglider off the summit of Mt. Sentinel!!! A brand new experience for me - it was amazing looking down at all the little buildings beneath my feet!!
MTfred19 - Oct 1, 2023 10:36 am
Let's keep it going....Slide Rock Recommended Wilderness (Quigg Peak area)Butte Cabin Ridge Loop. Start out by driving up Rock Creek and then hiking up Butte Cabin Creek. The last time I was here was on snowshoes to climb the peak maybe ten years ago, so it was good to come back again. Now, some folks may just want to hike the whole loop in a really long day, its about 18 miles, but I wanted to spend some quality time up there, as is the habit lately. Problem is, no good water sources up on the ridge that I am aware of, therefore, before the final ascent, I loaded up with 8 liters of water to last 2 nights (ugh). Nice ridge camp on the first night. Second day I went up the 3 Quigg peaks: Quigg Peak 8419, East Quigg 8468 (prominence 2548), and East-er Quigg 8309. Side note: to me, a name like Quigg, with a Q in it, is more interesting than the name Butte Cabin Ridge, so I'm sticking with that. Those peaks were nice, and I finished up that pretty casual day by finding a camp a couple miles north on the Butte Cabin Ridge. Last day is just continuing along the ridge and back to the trailhead. The trail up the creek and all the way to Quigg Peak is freshly maintained, the rest not so much, but its not bad. There is a bunch of burn up there unfortunately, but also a feeling that it does not see a whole lot of hiker action. Overall I think its a pretty nice place and I'm glad I went.
MTfred19 - Oct 19, 2022 4:40 pm
Sapphires Wilderness (Study Area)Here's another nice loop you can do that takes you to some remote country near the highest peaks of the Sapphire Range (Fox, Congdon, Kent), which you can climb if you haven't already. Several options are available, but I started at Frogpond Basin and proceeded to hike west and north on the Sapphire Crest Trail #313, with one camp at Shadow Lake and then a high camp north of Kent Peak. The scenery is pretty darn fine, according to me. A bit past Jerry Lake turn east and drop down Congdon Creek trail #8018, which was the only part of the loop that was not maintained recently, but it wasn't too terrible. A third and final camp at Medicine Lake is very nice, even though it has ATV access. Lots of ducks there; moose and elk too. Return to the trailhead on the last day by dropping down #8161 to the Ross Fork of Rock Creek, and then heading up the South Fork on #8162 and back to your vehicle. Some notes: Maybe add a night to have more time to explore and climb peaks. Before going there was some concern about the trail conditions where #313 drops down Skalkaho Creek below Trout/Kent Lakes and then climbs back up the NW shoulder of Kent Peak. Rest assured, as it has been de-logged this year! And its a good thing, because if not, I imagine one could end up creating a whole new batch of profanity that's never been heard before. About 32 miles total; not too easy, not too hard, but somewhat rugged in places. I did not see a single other person on this hike. Survey Says: Protect and keep this wild and wonderful place as a Wilderness
MTfred19 - Oct 19, 2022 3:33 pm
Welcome Point (Benchmark) - 77232012, '15, '22. Highpoint of the Welcome Creek Wilderness. Its pretty close to town and its fairly pleasant so you should hike up there sometime. Gonna have to hop some logs though
MTfred19 - Oct 21, 2021 11:24 am
Backpacking in the Sapphires?Here is a little 3 day/25 mile loop tour featuring a section of the sometimes spectacular Sapphire Crest Trail #313: The Burnt Fork Loop. Although the trail was surprisingly in great shape the whole way except for an extremely bad half mile section at the head of Moose Creek along the crest, it would be good to get more people hiking around here to make sure the trails stay open. Start out by driving up the Burnt Fork to the end of the road (the last few miles past the Gold Creek campground to the trailhead have gotten much worse in recent years!). First day just hike on up to Burnt Fork Lake and set up camp. Second day continue up trail #321 to #44 to #86 to #313, going over Peak 8399 and Dome Shaped Mountain in the process. IMO this was the best part of the trip, and there are some decent views. There are some ponds about 1-2 miles north of DSM on the east side of the crest that you can drop down to for water to bring back up to a high camp along the ridge. Last day continue north along the crest and you will reach the really nasty section of blowdown from an old fire. Be patient, use your trail finding skills to make your way through this part. Its definitely a little bit of a challenge. Thankfully, the trail crews seem to have been working on this area recently, and may even cut it all the way through in the near future. (Its really bad, and lots of hard work, so-thanks!) Continue over Eagle Point and then drop back down to the Burnt Fork on #147. No, its not an official wilderness, but I think you may be surprised at how wild and rugged and remote this hike feels!
MTfred19 - Aug 2, 2014 2:02 am
Home RangeBy my count, I have reached 83 different summits in the Sapphire Mountains so far (including the John Longs). I really enjoy the solitude here, especially in winter. Plenty of great backroad driving, too! Lots more left to explore! An often overlooked range.
MTfred19 - Aug 30, 2014 2:09 pm
Re: Home RangeOn 8/27/14, I was lucky enough to be able to fly a tandem paraglider off the summit of Mt. Sentinel!!! A brand new experience for me - it was amazing looking down at all the little buildings beneath my feet!!
WOLFrising - Feb 18, 2013 10:07 am
Some close climbs to homewhen living in Missoula, including Sentinel and University.