Mount Helena Ridge Trail #373

The Mount Helena Ridge trail begins about five miles outside of Helena at the Park City trailhead. It is a national forest trail, which means it is maintained by the National Forest Service.

Here's a more detailed description of the trail: http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/helena/recreation/trails/mthelena.shtml


To get there, we had to set up a shuttle. We left Greg's car at the end of the trail in Helena, and then drove the Subie out to the beginning of the hike. To get to the Park City trailhead, you take a pretty well-maintained dirt road called Grizzly Gulch. Along the way we saw these cool remains of old mine kilns.

The trail begins with a few switchbacks across some grassy, sloping meadows. This part is probably covered in wildflowers in spring. It'll be cool to see how different the trails look in the different seasons.




When we stop to catch our breath at the top of the hills, we are rewarded with some pretty beautiful views of the mountains.

The patches of bright yellow are birch groves, which are absolutely gorgeous right now. This was the only patch of birch trees in this mountain range; in person, it stands out like a splash of vibrant yellow paint.

After climbing the grassy hills, the trail descends into the forest. It's a lot chillier in here without the sun beating down! Kinda creepy too- we are about 90% sure we saw some fresh bear tracks in the mud. Note to self: get that bear pepper spray before next week's hike!!!

Greg, a.k.a. "Bug Hunter", catches a butterfly with his bare hands. Do Not Try This at Home.

Note: no animals were harmed in the making of this blog. The butterfly flew away a few seconds later, wings intact (and quite angry!).










Guess we know where to get our Christmas tree this year! Just kidding, of course we know it's a federal crime to cut down a tree in a national forest....







After about 5-6 miles, we find ourselves back in Mount Helena City park, and we meet up with the 1906 trail. Then it is a short, steep climb to the top. This is the first time we've actually reached the top of Mount Helena!





Time for the descent. We choose the Powerline trail, which is a straight shot down. The grade is so steep, it pretty much takes everything I've got to keep from sliding down the trail headfirst! Well, I'm just thankful we're heading down, not up. We'll save that for next week.



(Greg: "Sam, are you done taking pictures yet? The Pats game started a half an hour ago!" Okay, okay, The End.)