Penrose Peak, Part 3

The beginning of the trip.

I will post quite a few of the photos I took on this hike in order to give a good idea of what the whole area looks like and what one sees while walking through it. There are great views available just about everywhere. I think it will be best to post the photos in groups of eight or so per post and therefore I will do a series of posts.

In the very early 1900’s, a fire lookout was built on the top of Penrose and trails were developed for the use of pack strings to take the necessary materials for it’s construction up to it and then to carry up provisions for the person manning the lookout during the summers. They are still called “pack trails”, but my observation is that they are hardly ever used except for the first mile or so by hunters in the fall season. (Horses leave behind calling cards that will last for several years but I have found very little evidence of horse travel on any of them, however all of the trails are extensively used by wildlife: for example, bear sign was visible literally everywhere along my nine mile hike including one huge pile of scat left by a Grizzly just below the peak.)

There are several routes one might take take to get to the peak. One is by USFS trail 385 from the east, a distance of about 6 miles. I hiked part of that trail last summer and found it to be quite pretty for the most part although the first mile or so is quite aggressive. Another is by using USFS trail 398 which I have not visited. It looks to be about a five mile shot and it has to be a very aggressive trail, starting at about 2,800 feet. A third is by taking USFS trail 385 for a couple miles from the CC Divide pack trail 404 west of the peak.

If you are interested in hiking this area, please refer to the Lolo National Forest map which shows road and trail numbers, copies of which are available at ranger stations within the forest, or they can be ordered from the Lolo National Forest website: a link to their site is on my right sidebar. There are also some excellent maps available online at a terrific website, RoadlessLand.org. (I will also be posting a number of photos on that website.) The trails however are seldom used and poorly marked except for the very old blaze marks that are essential in a good number of places in order to be able to find the trail at all.

I chose a to take fourth route which is quite a bit longer but I have found it to be very scenic. I have hiked the first part of it many times. It is about 9 miles long and provides many great views into the roadless area and also looks out over the Clark Fork valley and into the Cabinet mountains on the other side of it. This route starts by taking USFS road 7581 from the valley at Swamp Creek for ten miles until it is gated off and motorized travel of any kind is thereafter prohibited. After the gate (at about 4,700 feet), the old road is excellent for hiking and after about 6 miles you will arrive at its intersection with USFS trail 385, which is where I spent Sunday night at a little over 6,000 feet. I have posted many photos in previous posts which were taken from that trail.

The first six photos in this post were taken along the drivable part of the road before the trail head. In my opinion it’s a beautiful road! (You can ignore this part if you don’t care for Indian Paintbrush.)

The road isn’t overly wide, but it’s very rocky and doesn’t wash out during bad weather.

The gate entering the non-motorized area and the beginning of the hike at 4,700 feet.

Situated at about the 3 mile point is one of my favorite viewing locations at an elevation of about 5,500 feet and offers the first look at Penrose Peak (the one on the far left with the sharp point, and yes, it really is that steep when going up to it) and the other tall peaks in the roadless area.

This photo shows the northwest slope of Sacajawea Peak and is a representative picture of the forest in that immediate area.

My next post will cover the rest of the hike to my camp spot and the start of the trail to the peak.