-
4123 Hits
-
73.06% Score
-
3 Votes
Page Type:
|
Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
47.56344°N / 112.67741°W |
Route Type:
|
Hiking, Mountaineering, Scrambling |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall |
|
Time Required:
|
Most of a day |
|
Rock Difficulty:
|
Class 3 |
|
Overview
This route accesses Sawtooth Ridge from Home Gulch to the west. The north summit is slightly lower than the true summit, which is the third tooth to the south on the ridgeline. However, the north summit is easier to reach and offers the payoff of fantastic views for a long, hot climb.Elevation gained is about 3500 feet over 5 miles.
Getting There
From the parking area at Sun Canyon Lodge, walk to the east edge of the grassy meadow behind the resort's laundry facility and cross the creek. Head right to access the trail into Home Gulch.Route Description
Follow the trail south into Home Gulch, gradually gaining elevation as you wind through the trees, with great views of Sawtooth Ridge ahead and the dramatic canyon walls to your right. Glance backward as you climb for increasingly impressive views of Castle Reef on the far side of Sun Canyon. The trail will drop back down slightly as you near the northwest shoulder of Sawtooth Ridge, then regain elevation to a rocky hump overlooking the broad, open meadow known as Agropyron Flats. Descend the trail to reach the flats, at about the 3-mile point, and examine the route ahead.
The ridgeline up from Agropyron Flats.A timbered ridgeline drops down from Sawtooth Ridge to the flats, and a prominent, square-sided block of stone sits atop it. This ridge will lead directly up to the upper northwest shoulder of the mountain. Cross the east edge of the flats until reaching the lowest part of this ridge, then turn onto it and begin the climb.
The route across the upper west face of Sawtooth's north summit.Work your way up the ridge toward the square block of stone and climb past it through a notch on the south side. Continue up the ridge, passing up and down high points along it until you reach the upper west face. The route upward will lead up to a bare flat ridge which will allow your first view out onto the plains to the east. From here, climb up the shoulder to the south over a tiring stretch of scree toward the cliffs below the ridge.
Once you've climbed above the elevation of the steep cliffs on the west face, traverse south above them. The route will wind into a small, steep gully and back out, then below another set of cliffs. Look for a route upward through these cliffs approximately halfway across the face. Scramble up through this break (possibly Class 3), and the final scramble up to the top will be in front of you. Aim up toward the ridgeline and follow up and around small ledges until reaching the north summit.
The main summit and ridge, seen from the north summit.From the top you'll have fantastic views south to the rest of Sawtooth's peaks. The main summit block juts slightly above its neighbors, just clearing the horizon beyond. The true summit and lower fourth summit frame the sharp cone of Haystack Butte, far to the south on the plains, like a giant peep sight. If reaching the true summit matters to you, gaze with some dismay at it as you realize that, after all the effort you've expended, the top is only about 45 feet higher than where you are now. But the steeper, rocky jumble of the summit block's west face poses a trickier challenge requiring a longer approach and more time to surmount, and the view from where you now stand is excellent in its own right.
To the west, the parallel ridges of the Bob Marshall Wilderness stagger away to the horizon, with impressive peaks popping up throughout. To the north Castle Reef dominates the immediate foreground with Ear Mountain visible beyond on the eastern edge of the range. Below and to the left of Castle Reef the Sun Canyon Lodge complex can be seen; strain your eyes to see if you can pick out your car. Above, straight north beyond the shoulder of Castle Reef sits Rocky Mountain, the highpoint of the range and of the Bob. To the east the Great Plains begin their thousand-mile stretch toward the heart of the continent, dotted with blue reservoirs, kettle lakes, and distant island ranges in the haze on the horizon. The group of flat-topped buttes so prominent from the Great Falls area can be made out toward the southeast, and directly below your toes is the yawning drop-off of the massive summit cliffs. Hopefully the wind won't be blowing too hard at your back!
The view east.The route down is the reverse of the climb; take extra care descending the access gully and scree shoulder. You might be tempted to cut straight down the wooded northeast shoulder to reach the trail sooner but be careful as there are cliff bands which could stand in your way.
On your return to the Sun Canyon Lodge, you'll enjoy a rare luxury for hikes on the Front: a real-live saloon located right at the trailhead! Stop in for a cold drink, then wander back outside, kick off your boots and enjoy the view back to the evening sun on the summit you've just reached, so far above where you are now. Campers will be cooking dinner and the clink of horseshoes will fill the air from guests and camp staff enjoying a friendly round. If you're the type who packs a post-hike beer of your own a good one for this trip would be Montana-brewed Bayern Pilsner, with label art by Missoula's Monte Dolack depicting none other than Sawtooth Ridge itself. Cheers!