REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: HELENA | DIFFICULTY: EXTREMELY STRENUOUS
Despite its proximity to Helena, Colorado Mountain has that "way out there" feeling we're all craving come summertime. Our route to the summit will travel old roads and trail - it's steep to start but will reward you with panoramic views of the Big Belts, Elkhorns, Boulders, and Adels.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: ENNIS | DIFFICULTY: EXTREMELY STRENUOUS
Celebrate the unofficial beginning of summer this Memorial Day weekend with a scenic hike in the Madison Range. This 10.5-mile hike follows Jack Creek just outside the Taylor Hilgard Unit of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. We'll finish our excursion at the beautiful Shadow Lake, where we'll enjoy lunch as we discuss the work Wild Montana is doing to preserve the area's ecological value.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: HELENA | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Join us for a trek into the heart of the rugged Big Belt Mountains. We'll journey up Trout Creek Canyon, lined with 1,000-foot limestone canyon walls that expose a fascinating peek into geologic time.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: BUTTE | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
Humbug Spires Wilderness Study Area is a scenic wonder, with tall granite outcroppings bursting through an old-growth conifer forest in a truly wild landscape. Its relatively low elevation makes it an ideal spot for an early-season hike and spring wildflower sightings. We'll hike an established trail until we reach our destination – the Wedge, one of the area's most prominent spires.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: LOLO | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Team up with our Shining Mountains Chapter for our first Adopt-A-Highway outing of the year. Our chapter is the adopter of a stretch of Highway 12 near Lolo Pass. Following a safety session and some tasty pastries, we'll clean up two miles of the road starting from Lolo Pass. This outing usually lasts 2.5 hours and is a great way to spend the morning giving back.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: BILLINGS | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Are you looking to explore Billing's wild backyard? The Acton Recreation Area is a great place to start. Join us for a hike through the area's badlands, bluffs and sparse ponderosa pines. We'll keep an eye out for wildlife and share suggestions for outdoor opportunities at other BLM recreation areas near Billings.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: BIG SKY | DIFFICULTY: EASY & STRENUOUS OPTIONS
Volunteer as a Trail Ambassador to help keep the Bozeman area's most beloved trails wild. We'll spend the day greeting guests at the trailhead, inventorying trails for maintenance needs, gathering visitor use data, and educating users about Leave No Trace practices and wilderness ethics. In celebration of National Trails Day, we'll spend our first service day at the Lava Lake Trailhead outside the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: LEWISTOWN | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
Join us for a hike in the Big Snowy Mountains Wilderness Study Area. We'll start our journey at the Ulhorn Trailhead on the range's east flank. Our route follows an unofficial route up the ridge above the pockmarked limestone cliffs of Halfmoon Canyon. Once we reach the summit of Baldy Peak, we'll have dynamite views of the Little Rockies, Judith Mountains, and nearby high points of the Big Snowies.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: KALISPELL | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Summer is here! Before you head into the backcountry, be sure to learn or refresh on bear safety. Join Wild Montana and People and Carnivores for an interactive experience that prepares you for your next wild adventure. We'll start with an indoor presentation covering bear-aware basics and then practice deploying bear spray canisters. Will there be a robot bear to spice up pepper spray practice? Join us to find out.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: BILLINGS | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Lend a hand along the wild Yellowstone River. Our crew will be on shore, cleaning up fishing access sites and removing trash and debris that would otherwise find its way into the river. We'll start at Duck Creek and hit other sites if time allows.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: VICTOR | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
Join our Adopt-A-Trail Crew for our first day of maintenance on the Glen Lake Trail in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. We'll be clearing the winter's downfall, improving drainage, and brushing the trail corridor. If time allows, we'll also work to establish a primary route between Glen Lake and two upper lakes.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: LIVINGSTON | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
Join our Adopt-A-Trail Crew for a trail maintenance day up the Cliff Creek drainage in the Gallatin Range. We'll venture into the Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area to continue our years-long effort to improve trails in the area. This year's work will include some combination of essential trail maintenance: brushing, logging out downed trees, and improving drainage. Interested volunteers can sign up for one or both days of work with the option to camp near the trailhead.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: LAUREL | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Located near the confluence of the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone and the Yellowstone rivers, Sundance Lodge Recreation Area is a peaceful haven for wildlife and people alike. Bring the whole family for a mellow stroll through tranquil meadows and cottonwood groves in Billings and Laurel's wild backyard.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: HIGHWOOD | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
The Highwood Mountains rise from the prairies of central Montana, providing visitors with a high-elevation vantage point over the surrounding terrain. There's no better way to get acquainted with the Highwoods than hiking the Windy Mountain Loop. Join us as we trek through open hillsides, wildflower-covered slopes, and groves of pine forest to the 5,998-foot summit of Windy Mountain. It's a scenic adventure you won't want to miss.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: ELLISTON | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Join our Adopt-A-Trail Crew for a day of trail maintenance on the Kading Trial. The Kading Trail's existence results from the collaboration of hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers working together to protect the nearby Electric Peak Recommended Wilderness. Our crew will carry on the spirit of their work by improving the trail. We'll saw out deadfall, improve drainage, and take on whatever other tasks conditions demand. Your efforts will help others better enjoy the trail's remarkable views of the Little Blackfoot and the Continental Divide.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: LIVINGSTON | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
Join our Adopt-A-Trail Crew for a trail maintenance day up the Cliff Creek drainage in the Gallatin Range. We'll venture into the Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area to continue our years-long effort to improve trails in the area. This year's work will include some combination of essential trail maintenance: brushing, logging out downed trees, and improving drainage. Interested volunteers can sign up for one or both days of work with the option to camp near the trailhead.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: OVANDO | DIFFICULTY: EXTEREMELY STRENUOUS
Take a hike up McCabe Creek, just outside the Scapegoat Wilderness. We'll make our way up the draw toward East Spread Mountain, continuing to the summit if conditions and the group's enthusiasm levels call for it. From the top and even at viewpoints below the summit, we'll see why Montanans have been working for over a decade to protect the surrounding landscape by passing the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act.
The Flathead-Kootenai Chapter meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month at 6 p.m. (online for now). All are welcome! Email flathead.kootenai@wildmontana.org for more information.
The Wild Divide Chapter meets on the second Wednesday of every month from 6:15–7:30 p.m. All are welcome. Email wild.divide@wildmontana.org for more information.
The Eastern Wildlands Chapter meets every second Thursday of the month from 6–8 p.m. at the Billings Community Foundation (also streaming over Zoom). All are welcome! For more information, email eastern.wildlands@wildmontana.org.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: EUREKA | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Known for its tranquil beauty in the wonderful Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area, Bluebird Lake sits in a glacial cirque, surrounded by wildflower fields, native shrubs, and evergreens. We'll find early-season wildflowers along the trail, explore the flowers' features, and share your discoveries with the crew while enjoying a picnic by the lake. From novice wildflower seekers to botanists, join this fun outing co-hosted by the Montana Native Plant Society.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: LINCOLN | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Rogers Pass provides primo access to the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail. We'll make it our starting point for a hike north toward Lewis & Clark Pass and the Scapegoat Wilderness. Our route is mostly ridgetop, giving us great views of The Bob to our north and west and the Great Plains to our east. We'll keep our eyes peeled for bluebirds and wildflowers along the way.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: LINCOLN | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Join our Wild Divide Chapter for our first Adopt-A-Highway cleanup of the year. Our chapter is the adopter of a stretch of Highway 200 near Lincoln. We'll spend the morning picking up trash along our two-mile segment.
REGISTRATION OPEN
NEAREST TOWN: TOWNSEND | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Want to learn more about fire behavior? Join Wild Montana and the U.S. Forest Service for a leisurely hike in the Big Belt Mountains. We'll venture about one-half mile into an area burned by the Deep Creek Fire of 2021. There, we'll review and discuss evidence of fire behavior when the fire burned into past fuels treatments from the Deep Creek Hazardous Fuels Project of 2004–2007 and how (if any) the treatments affected fire intensity and growth.
NEAREST TOWN: LINCOLN | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
This trek from Alice Creek to the top of Lewis and Clark Pass pairs big views with historical and cultural significance. The route is known as the Buffalo Road as it was utilized by Native American tribes living west of the Continental Divide to access buffalo hunting grounds on the eastern plains. The route was later traversed by Meriwether Lewis and the Corps of Discovery. We'll share some of this history as we take in views of the Blackfoot Valley and Scapegoat Wilderness.
NEAREST TOWN: HAMILTON | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
Our Shining Mountains Chapter Adopt-A-Trail Crew is getting back to work in the Bitterroot. Given the success of our past service days, the Forest Service has requested some additional support. The trail we'll work on is still up in the air; we'll be maintaining a yet-to-be-determined trail that the Forest Service considers a timely priority.
The Island Range Chapter meets at 5:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. All are welcome! For more information, email island.range@wildmontana.org.
The Madison-Gallatin Chapter board meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 6–8 p.m. at Bozeman Fire Station #3, 1705 Vaquero Pkwy, Bozeman. All Wild Montana members are welcome!
NEAREST TOWN: MISSOULA | DIFFICULTY: EASY
"Solstice" literally means "sun stands still." Find out just how the sun does that and learn a few summer constellations on this short, late-night outing on the Sunlight Trail in Missoula. Bring binoculars to search for a few deep-sky objects. This event is weather (clouds) dependent, so if the 19th doesn't work, we'll try again on the 20th.
The Southwestern Wildlands Chapter supports the organization’s mission by providing community outreach and education that inspire residents of Butte-Silverbow, Beaverhead, and Deer Lodge Counties to protect wild public lands and waters in the southwest corner of the state, including the Anacondas, Pintlers, West Big Hole, East Pioneers, West Pioneer wilderness study area, Lima Peaks, Italian Peaks, Snowcrests, and 10 wilderness study areas along the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail.
NEAREST TOWN: CORVALLIS | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
Join us for a sporty hike into the remote Sapphire Mountains. We'll trek through an old burn before scaling the 8,848' summit of Skalkaho Mountain. After descending, we'll traverse the pristine meadows of Fall Creek before arriving at a lovely mountain tarn. Throughout the hike, we'll capture views of the Bitterroot Mountains and the surrounding Sapphire Mountain Wilderness Study Area. Portions of this hike are off-trail.
NEAREST TOWN: LEWISTOWN | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Join us for a hike through the rugged Woodhawk Wilderness Study Area. From the Woodhawk Trail, we will gain Sunshine Ridge for a ridge walk overlooking the Missouri River. We'll have panoramic views of the Woodhawk WSA and the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument. We'll also see where the Nez Perce Tribe crossed at Cow Island. Sign up for this outing if you like rolling hills, deep coulees, and ponderosa-pocked prairie.
NEAREST TOWN: CHOTEAU | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Enjoy a short hike along the North Fork Dupuyer Creek in the prairies and foothills of the Rocky Mountain Front. We’ll start on the Boone & Crockett Club’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch and cross the prairie toward North Fork Canyon and Walling Reef. We’ll discuss plant and wildlife identification as well as the history and spectacular geology of the area. We expect to see more than 75 species of wildflowers, plus tipi rings and other features of the Old North Trail. This hike is brought to you by Wild Montana and the Montana Native Plant Society.
NEAREST TOWN: BRIDGER | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Join our Adopt-A-Trail Crew for a day of service in the remote Pryor Mountains. We'll help re-establish sections of the trail in Weatherman Draw that were washed out in previous flood events and may also maintain or replace signage. Weatherman Draw is home to geologic wonders and archeological artifacts. There's no better way to experience the area than by helping facilitate other people's future enjoyment.
NEAREST TOWN: GREAT FALLS | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Join Wild Montana and Missouri River Open Lands Preservation for a tour of an 80-acre state land parcel proposed for a public park easement. We'll follow foot trails along the perimeter and crisscross the parcel, stopping at a potential cultural site and tracing the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. Participants will learn about the easement proposal, how the area ties into the history of the Corps of Discovery, and can join an on-site BBQ and easement fundraiser after the Walk.
NEAREST TOWN: HELENA | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Stare into the cosmos through state-of-the-art telescopes at Montana Learning Center. See our solar system as you have never seen it before, all with the help of volunteers from the Montana Learning Center and Helena Astronomical Society. With clear skies, we'll view multiple constellations, far-off galaxies, Jupiter's many moons, and Saturn's spectacular rings. Participants may leave anytime, but the party will continue until about midnight. We’ll be using very expensive and fragile telescopes during this event. Because of this, any kids who participate must be aged fourth grade or older. Also – ensure you are not wearing or spraying any bug spray for this event. We have a backup date of July 2 in case June 26 is cloudy.
NEAREST TOWN: AUGUSTA | DIFFICULTY: MODERATE
Join us for a relaxing hike alongside the Dearborn River in the Scapegoat Wilderness. Our route takes us through a spectacular gorge before reaching an open meadow perfect for picnicking. Along the way, there will be impromptu lessons in geology, wildflowers, birds, fire ecology, and fisheries inspired by whatever wonders we stumble across.
NEAREST TOWN: Helena | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Bring the kids for this hike to Top of the World! This trail at the crest of Rodney Ridge in the South Hills offers fantastic views of the Continental Divide, Mount Ascension, Mount Helena, and the Missouri River. After discussing wildlands and neat places for future summer adventures, we'll head back to town for a campfire and s'mores at the hike leader's nearby backyard.
NEAREST TOWN: KALISPELL | DIFFICULTY: EASY
Join our Adopt-A-Trail Crew for a day of trail maintenance on the Tally Mountain Trail in the Salish Mountains. We'll be clearing brush, improving drainage, and tackling whatever the trail demands. No prior experience is necessary. Come make a difference on a lesser-known, quiet Tally Lake area trail that could use the help.
NEAREST TOWN: JACKSON | DIFFICULTY: STRENUOUS
This West Big Hole adventure begins on the Continental Divide Trail before branching off along Miner Creek. We'll follow this trail gradually up through alpine meadows toward Monument Peak and Upper Miner Lake. From the shores of this alpine lake, we'll take in what is one of the West Big Hole's most beautiful haunts. A short scramble up meadows to the upper Upper Miner Lake will be an enticing option for those feeling up for more.
The difficulty ratings below are our best attempt to categorize the expected challenge level of a hike. Of course, every individual’s ability and energy levels are unique. Please be conservative when self-selecting an appropriate outing. If you need more information about the challenge associated with a walk to make an informed decision, contact Sonny at smazzullo@wildmontana.org, and he will work with you.
Easy
3 miles or less; mostly level ground or only slight incline
Moderate
4–6 miles and/or 500’–1,000′ of elevation gain
Strenuous
7–10 miles and/or 1,000’–2,000′ elevation gain
Extremely Strenuous
10+ miles and/or > 2,000′ elevation gain
We inform you that this site uses own, technical and third parties cookies to make sure our web page is user-friendly and to guarantee a high functionality of the webpage. By continuing to browse this website, you declare to accept the use of cookies.