Baggin' a few low Missoula horizon summits: Woody, Mitten, Dean Stone, and Black Mountains

Bad cell phone shot of the Missions (left) and Rattlesnake (right) from Black Mountain.

Over the past week I've been getting out into the lower mountains visible on the horizon from town, which still only have a couple of inches of snow. Last weekend was Woody Mountain, which is the mountain you see straight ahead when you're driving on I-90 from Missoula to Bonner. To climb it, just head into Bonner, drive toward the mountain, and look for an access from the neighborhoods at Woody's base. The hike is straight up and strenuous, and the weeds are bad, but it isn't much more than a mile. However, Woody is at 6218 ft, so it's about 3000+ feet of up.


Woody Mountain

I also took an early morning and bagged Mitten Mountain (6004 ft) and Mount Dean Stone (6204 ft). Dean Stone is the mountain with the radio towers south of town, above the South Hills, and Mitten is the high point along the ridge 1/2 mile to the northeast. To get there, drive past Pattee Canyon trailhead, down Deer Creek Road 1/2 mile or so, and then turn right up the Forest Service road at the big switch back. Follow this road a few miles to the divide between Deer Creek and Miller Creek, park the car, gain the ridge, and walk out to these two high points. It's not too long a trip from the divide (~2 miles to Dean Stone), is moderately strenuous, and I think an upper Pattee Canyon trailhead start is totally doable.


Mitten (left bump) and Dean Stone Mountains

Finally, this weekend, I bagged Black Mountain (5951 ft), which is one of the prominent mountains on the west edge of town, just north of Blue Mountain. Actually, this was the most enjoyable of the three outings mentioned on this blog. I figured it'd be another bushwack, like the above two, but you head up O'Brian Creek, a mile or so beyond the end of the pavement, park at a trailhead, and have nice trail to walk, along south facing, open, grassy, and very Missoula-esque slopes, until the last strenuous half-mile bushwack to the summit. Actually, this is a really nice hiking area, suitable for late season walks. The views from Black Mountain are spectacular: Blue Mountain and Lolo to the south, and to the north, the Missions and Rattlesnake.

Black Mountain on the way up.

Blue Mountain and Lolo Peak, looking south, on the way down.

The Missions and Rattlesnake from Black Mountain summit.