The Wilderness Voice

Explore Wild Montana This Summer with MWA’s New Online Hiking Guide by Barbara Geller

Vol 4, No. 4, - Spring 2016

Newsletter of the Madison Gallatin Chapter

Let hike.wildmontana.org take you to new trails

If you like exploring new trails, you’ll

love Montana Wilderness Associa-

tion’s new online hiking guide. This

free, state-wide, online, crowd-

sourced guide will help you locate

trails in your own area and across the

state of Montana. You’ll likely find

old favorites and, hopefully, some

new-to-you trails.

With over 200 trails at launch

time, hike.wildmontana.org

should offer something for every-

one. For example:

Anglers can search for lakes or

rivers, peakbaggers can select

summits, and rockhounds can

pick trails denoted for their geologi-

cal interest.

In mud season, look for trails rec-

ommended for spring. Or pick wa-

terfalls, which should be rushing

with spring runoff.

Wheelchair users can select hard-

surface trails. Parents might want

dirt rather than gravel or rocky sur-

faces for hikes with strollers.

For epic through-hikes or l-o-n-g

dayhikes, sort the list by distance.

For short hikes, sort it the opposite

way.

Use the “search” function to look for

loop trails, National Recreation Trails

(NRT), Continental Divide Trails

(CDT), trails in your favorite moun-

tain range, or whatever piques your

interest, or to look up a specific trail

by name.

When you find a trail that begs you

to hike it, recruit hiking partners by

sharing the trail with your friends via

the Facebook button.

When you return from your hike,

share your experience by filing a trip

report on that trail.

We hope you’ll find new adventures

and create unforgettable memories,

using hike.wildmontana.org!

One caveat: we

try to provide

accurate infor-

mation, but our

new hiking

guide is no sub-

stitute for a good

map and com-

pass. On trails

in the National

Forest, we try to

provide the trail

number so you

can use the For-

est Service Visi-

tor Use Maps to

guide your path.

Page 2 The Wi lderness Voice Volume 4, Issue 4

Share Your Knowledge by Barbara Geller

As a crowd-sourced website, hikewildmontana.org’s usefulness will increase as more people file trip re-

ports and create trail descriptions. Our gratitude and kudos go out to the 50+ people who created trail

descriptions already, but there’s still tremendous need for more people to contribute. There are three

ways you can participate:

1. Trip reporters rate each trail, share photos

and impressions of their trip, and provide beta

on trail conditions. To create a trip report,

click on the green “Trip Report+” bar in a trail

description.

2. If you have information

to add or correct on an existing trail descrip-

tion, flag it by clicking on the pale orange flag

icon under the trail description’s pho-

tos. You can then either email the

information in, or ask to be made a

collaborator on that trail description, so you

can update it yourself or add a GPS track.

3. If your favorite trail isn’t on the guide,

please add it. In the upper right corner, click

on “Add A Trail+”. One of our editors will set

you up with access to the website and in-

structions on what to do.

Some of our most iconic area hikes, like Mt Blackmore and Emerald Lake, still need to be added to the

guide. Some local areas have very few trails listed, like the Absarokas, Crazies, Bangtails, Tobacco

Roots and Gravelly Mountains. We invite you to share what you know and love about these areas so

that others can enjoy the beauty of wild Montana.

Page 3 The Wi lderness Voice Volume 4, Issue 4

Go Exploring! by Barbara Geller Here are some of the trails in the Madison, Gallatin and Yellowstone drainages on hikewildmontana.org

that you might want to explore:

Little-known trails, not found in guidebooks:

East Hyalite Divide

Moser Diaper Line

Hogback Ridge

South Brackett to East Bridger Foothills

Lake Cameron

West Bear Trap Canyon

Lone Peak Summit Hike

Ullery’s Lake Loop Interpretive Trail

And more!

Dry hikes during spring mud season:

North Cottonwood

Hogback Ridge

Copper City

Madison Buffalo Jump

Headwaters State Park

Lewis & Clark Caverns

Revenue Flats

Waterfall hikes, spectacular during spring run-off:

Ousel Falls

Pioneer Falls

Taylor Falls

Palisade Falls

Grotto Falls

Hyalite Lake Trail (11 waterfalls!)

Note: the road to the last three is closed April 1 to May 15.

Descending Hogback Ridge in April

Revenue Flats has very different rock forma-

Palisade Falls in Hyalite Canyon

Page 4 The Wi lderness Voice Volume 4, I ssue 4

And More Places to Explore by Barbara Geller

Spring wildflower hikes:

Mt Ellis Meadows Loop

North Cottonwood

History Rock to Fox Meadow

West Pine Creek

Fawn Pass to Bighorn Loop

If you don’t already know these trails, use

hikewildmontana.org to guide you.

West Pine Creek Trail is a riot of blooms in June

Announcing the MGC 2016 Summer Walks

This summer, Madison-Gallatin Chapter members will be leading a whopping 14 walks! The list below should

be enough to whet your appetite and start you planning which ones you'd like to take. The Wilderness Walks

book, with details about each walk, will be mailed out mid-April. As usual, you should go to wildmontana.org

to register. And don’t miss the walks kickoff on May 9 at Bridger Brewing.

Saturday, June 4 GPS Training 101

Saturday, June 11 Pioneer Falls

Sunday, June 12 Emigrant Gulch Hike

Saturday, June 18 Specimen Creek

Saturday, June 25 Dailey Creek to Teepee Creek

Saturday, July 2 Windy Pass

Friday, July 15 Sunlight Meadow

Saturday, July 23 Paradise Valley Geology

Sunday, July 24 Lemondrop Mountain

Saturday, August 6 The Mummy

Sat., August 6 - Sun., August 7 Crazy Mountains Backpack

Saturday, August 13 Crater Lake

Saturday, August 20 Fan Mountain

Saturday, August 27 Hyalite Peak

Page 5 The Wi lderness Voice Volume 4, I ssue 4

Trail Scouts by Barbara Geller Does our chapter’s “Trail Scout” program make a difference? We asked the Bozeman Ranger District, which was the recipient of 75% of the 67 reports our 10 trail scouts submitted last year, whether we should con-tinue this volunteer program. Here’s what ranger Cody Yeatts had to say: “The Trail Scout program…definitely is a valuable resource for us to keep [up] with what is going on around the forest. This past summer it helped us to steer our trail crew to areas that needed urgent work, or had been passed over for a couple of years and needed to be logged out. The Hyalite Divide trail # 171 is a great example of a trail that we don’t always get to, but was cleared this year as a result of the Trail Scout reporting of multiple trees down. I really liked hearing the feedback from you guys after we cleared it. “I know that we don’t always get around to fixing all of the things you guys report to us, but we do really ap-preciate the information. It seems like every year we are stretched a little more thin so it is really great to just have some extra eyes around the Forest to help us keep track of things.” Trail Scouts hike wherever and whenever they want, but take mental notes, or even photos and GPS read-ings, during their hikes about fallen trees, carcasses, missing signs, erosion, or other things that trail crews need to address. After returning home, they submit a list of the things they found amiss. If you are interested in being a Trail Scout, contact Barbara Geller at gellerbj@gmail.com for more informa-tion. Our trails could use your help.

Save these Dates! On Wednesday, April 20th, MWA is hosting Bozeman's monthly Green Drinks gathering, with the Wil-derness Society and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. Green Drinks will take place at the Baxter Hotel, be-ginning at 5:30pm. Green Drinks is designed to provide an informal space for local community members involved in all aspects of sustainability to connect with each other. Please join us for an enjoyable evening, and to share your love of wilderness with fellow community members!

Refreshments will be provided, but please bring your own cup or mug for beverages, as one of the goals of Green Drinks to create as little disposable waste as possible.

On Monday, May 9th, join MWA staff for our annual Spring Into Summer event at Bridger Brewing. We'll unveil the summer line-up of our 2016 Wilderness Walks and CDT Montana trail projects. Come hang out with fellow outdoor enthusiasts and starting planning your summer adventures. As a bonus, $1 of every pint of beer sold that evening goes to support MWA's conservation efforts! Stay tuned for more details on when the fun begins.

Saturday May 7th, Madison Gallatin Chapter WMA Adopt A Highway!!!!

It’s all connected, and when we care for even a small piece of the land, we help the whole earth.

We will welcome volunteers to take part in our first Adopt A Highway event. We have adopted a two mile stretch of Hwy 191 from mile marker 77 to 79. Please contact Roxanna McLaughlin at 406-539-7379 or by email at gaia_maid@yahoo.com if you can volunteer to help. More hands will make easier work. We will provide the safety gear for you and the highway department will pick up the bags we fill. Roxanna will con-tact you with meet-up time and location a week before the event.

Page 6 The Wi lderness Voice Volume 4, I ssue 4

At 3.1 million acres the recently merged Custer-Gallatin National Forest (CGNF) is Montana’s sec-ond largest national forest. The CGNF stretches from the crest of Madison range eastward into South Dakota. The CGNF manages many of the wild places we care so much about from the Lionhead Recommended Wilderness, to the heart of the Gallatin Range, clear to the eastern side of the state where the unique Pryor Mountains lie. And the Forest Service re-cently kicked off a once in a life-time opportunity to speak up for these wild places.

The opportunity comes in the form of revising the current forest man-agement plan, often referred to as a forest planning process, which is where the Forest Service evalu-ates how these public lands will be managed for decades to come. This may sound like a tedious process, and it is, but don’t be fooled—the result of the forest plan is significant. The plan revi-sion is the first step to perma-nently protecting land in the CGNF, because it is the Forest Ser-vice’s opportunity to recommend areas for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System.

The Custer National Forest is cur-rently managed under its 1986 forest plan, and the Gallatin Na-tional forest is currently managed under its 1987 forest plan. So, the last look at potential recom-mended wilderness was in the management plans the Custer and Gallatin Nationals Forests com-pleted in 1986 and 1987, respec-

tively. This new plan combines management of the forests under a single plan for the Custer-Gallatin National Forest.

It could be another 30 years be-fore management of wild places like the Gallatin Crest are recon-sidered for this administrative pro-tection, and these places cannot wait that long for protection. This four year process will be a long ride, but it will be an exciting ride. And rewarding, too.

The Forest Service re-cently com-pleted the open house meetings that pro-vided the roadmap for the planning process. If you missed this meeting, don’t worry. You can visit this link to review the PowerPoint presentation from the open house. Currently, the Forest Service is in Phase I and conducting its “assessment of current conditions”, and they are seeking input from you. You can contrib-

ute by filling out their question-naire here.

For questions about how to get involved please contact me today at scathey@wildmontana.org. To receive updates from the CGNF on forest planning activities, sub-scribe to their e-mail list by visit-ing: http://www.fs.usda.gov/main/custergallatin/landmanagement/planning.

Custer Gallatin Forest Planning by Sally Cathey, MWA South-

west Montana Field Director

Page 7 The Wi lderness Voice Volume 4, I ssue 4

Join us in celebration of Montana’s wild places with a

weekend full of live music, hikes, presentations, family

activities, food and fun. Wild Fest 2016 is only 5 months

away and the committee is planning events and activities

that people from all over the state will be talking about

for a long time.

This year we are partnering with Giant Springs State Park

to host the event. It’s the most visited state park in Mon-

tana, and an inspiring place to celebrate Montana’s wild

places. You’ll love the two bands – Rabbit Wilde (classic

Americana folk) is playing Friday night, and Laney Lou

and the Bird Dogs (old time tunes, rock and roll spirit) will

entertain us Saturday night. The Celtic Cowboy down-

town will host an after party each night with live music

and discounted drinks for Wild Fest attendees.

We have many hikes planned for Friday (Old North Trail,

Flat Top, Mt. Wright, Headquarters Pass, Devil’s Glen,

and Our Lake – all on the majestic Rocky Mountain Front)

and more on Saturday (Giant Springs Birding, Sluice

Boxes, Crown Butte, Sulphur Springs, First People’s Buf-

falo Jump and Highwood Mountains – all just a short dis-

tance from Great Falls). On Saturday afternoon people

can enjoy speakers, kids activities and display tables from

partner organizations, businesses and agencies.

There will be 40 tent and truck camping sites available at

Giant Springs for this event. RV’s and campers can go to

the nearby KOA.

What would Wild Fest be without the auction of a huckle-

berry pie? We’ll have that plus other live auction items;

the silent auction will be on display all weekend.

The Hi-Ho bar will be selling beer and wine, and multiple

food vendors will be on hand throughout the weekend.

Tell your family and friends and save the dates of Sep-

tember 9 and 10, 2016! For more information visit our

website throughout the summer at wildmon-

tana.org/wildfest or call (406) 443-7350 ext. 110.