Little St. Joe

Little St. Joe was one of my favorite hikes from last year, and knowing it was shorter and closer to Missoula, the brief amount of time I had made this an optimal hike for Friday. In fact, I may have to make this one an annual trip.  The views of the mountain on the other side of Bass Creek are incredible! Then, right as you summit Little St. Joe, your entire view opens up onto some of the most breath taking sights the Bitterroot has to offer.  It excited me so much even though I've been here before.  It is that incredible! I'm only sad that the pictures do not do it justice....they never do.  This is why I cannot stress enough that you should be out there hiking it yourself.  You won't regret it!

 Two views of Little St. Joe from the road. If you look closely, you can see the top is covered in Tamaracks which are turning their beautiful shade of yellow.

 The start of the trail confused me each time.  There seem to be several going off in different directions.  It actually starts right off the road, as you can see my Jeep is parked right next to it.  There is a concrete bench with a plaque explaining the plane crash that happened up here.  If you read it, then look up, the trail starts over in that direction.  That is the best way I know to explain it, as I'm completely guessing when someone says,"it starts to the South," or whatever. I have a good sense of direction, and all, but not to that extent!

This beauty accompanies you pretty much the whole way up

Getting a glimpse of what you're about to climb

                       

At about the 2 mile mark, you will have to rely on cairns more and more to follow any sort of trail. The higher I went my first trip up, the more often I had to stop and look for the next one.  It was a lot easier the second time.  Near the top is the memorial cairn that has quite a few plane pieces in it.  It's really the last one, and you can pretty much see from here where the summit is.  As you walk up, notice there are still pieces of the wreckage strewn about.  I think this is one of the things that makes this hike special.  It gives you a sense of being in a sacred place that should be respected.

Near the top, looking at the line of wonderful Larch

Looking at St. Joseph. I'm going to actually try to get to this one next year.

Looking toward Sweeney Ridge

                   

As you can see, it is a three mile hike, and you gain over 3000 feet of elevation. Don't let the first mile lull you into a false sense of security.  This becomes a rather steep hike.  Maybe that's why I become so elated when I get to the summit, I know my calves finally get a break!

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Hiking!