Several years ago I climbed to the top of Stuart Peak in the Rattlesnake National Wilderness Area, mostly because I was bored and it was close by. I didn’t think I’d find anything worth revisiting.
After hiking throughout the lower eight miles of the Rattlesnake for several years, I was convinced that the area was great for quick hikes but it wasn’t worth backpacking into. I was wrong, which I learned the day I hiked up to Stuart Peak. What I saw up there were two beautiful lakes (i.e., Twin Lakes) and miles of good-sized mountains.
In Late July, I decided to finally head up to Stuart’s Peak again, to see what else was out there. I’m glad I did. It’s beautiful out there.
top half of the map
on the way up to Stuart Peak
Twin Lakes
McKinley Lake
Worden Lake
Unnamed Lake
abundance of rain this year made for some great flowers
Glacier Lake
nice view
Glacier Lake
detour to Glacier Lake
Glacier Lake
up to Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
North of Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
Sanders Lake
Camp
great sunset
kept getting better
and better
like the sky was on fire
Little Lake
Lake Creek
stream coming out of Sheridan Lake
Carter Lake
up to Big Lake
Big Lake
McKinley Lake
McKinley Lake
McKinley Lake again
and now back to the bottom 8 miles
Montana has a lot to offer, even if you aren't willing to drive a few miles to get away from the larger cities…
