Last Sunday, the weather was spectacular -- warm and sunny -- and this late in the year, I begin to think that it might be the last such day of the year. So although it took some doing, I got the family into the car early on Sunday and we took a trip to Plains, Montana to climb Baldy Mountain. Interestingly, if you measure mountains by prominence (the vertical distance between the summit and the lowest contour line encircling it and no higher summit), Baldy is the 13th most prominent peak in Montana. What this means is that even though the summit isn't that high, once on top you can see for miles. Anyway, it was a spectacular day, as the pictures show. The weather was truly perfect, the larch were peaking, and the family finally jived, even if it took an hour on the trail and was hard to get out of town.
Directions: Plains sits on the Clark Fork River and Highway 200 about 1.5 hours drive west from Missoula. To get to Baldy, once in Plains, turn right on Clayton street (look for the sign) and then stay on that paved road nearly to its end -- you'll see Baldy ahead and to your right, so you can kind of follow your nose -- veering left on a Forest Service (FS) road with no marker other than a small sign with the number 2 on it. Alternatively, just drive to the end of the paved road, where all that's left are private driveways, turn around and take a right at the first road (not driveway) after about 1/8th mile. Follow this FS road for several miles, turning right at the road with the little brown sign with a white hiker symbol on it. Then stay on this road until you see the trail head sign, where you'll park. Hike 2.6 miles to the top.
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