Highlights:
Views of the entire Elkhorn Mountains area from its two highest peaks.
Location: 15 miles southeast of Helena.
Type of hike: Out-and-back day hike.
Total distance: 10 miles.
Difficulty: Strenuous.
Best months: June through September.
Maps:
Elkhorn USGS Quad and Helena National Forest Map.
Finding the trailhead: The trail begins at Elkhorn, a historical mining camp on the southern end of the Elkhorn Mountains. From Helena, drive 27 miles south on Interstate 15 to Boulder. Take the Boulder exit off the interstate and go 7 miles south of town on Montana Highway 69; then turn left (east) onto a gravel road. There is a large sign for Elkhorn marking this turnoff.
The gravel road immediately crosses the Boulder River. Turn right at a junction just after crossing the river and follow this road for about 13 miles to Elkhorn, bearing left at two junctions along the way. If you have a two-wheel-drive vehicle, park at the northeast corner of town just before the road turns south to the cemetery. The trail, actually a jeep road, heads north out of town. If you have a four-wheel-drive vehicle, you can make it another 0.7 mile before needing to park. Park here even though there's a sign saying "Four-wheel-drive Vehicles Only." In reality, the road to the Iron Mine is too rough for most vehicles. On the Forest Service map, it is marked as Trail 72, and it's definitely more suited to hiking boots than steel-belted radials.
Parking & trailhead facilities: Historical ghost town and ample parking.
Key points
2.8 Iron MineThe hike: If you are an experienced enough hiker that you are considering cross-country hiking or rock climbing, you might use this hike to break the ice. Half the hike is trailless and goes to the summits of the highest peaks in the Helena area.
4.0 Elkhorn Peak
5.0 Crow Peak
From Elkhorn, hike 2.8 miles to the Iron Mine, an abandoned mining camp on the west slope of Elkhorn Peak. Here, leave the trail and head straight up for about half a mile until you reach the top of the ridge. Follow the ridge north for about another mile to the top of Elkhorn Peak. After leaving Iron Mine Trail (72), it is cross-country hiking and a steep upgrade.
On the ridgetop, you are 2,800 feet above Elkhorn, and the view is something to behold, especially to the north where you can see the entire Tizer Basin, the heart of the Elkhorn Mountains. To the southeast lies 9,414-foot Crow Peak, which is slightly higher than Elkhorn Peak (9,381 feet).
Pick your way to Crow Peak along the saddle between the two mountains. Be sure to bear slightly to the north so that you can look down steep cliffs into Hidden Lake and, a little farther on, Glenwood Lake. Both lakes are nestled in steep, glacier-scoured cirques with sheer cliffs on three sides and openings only on the north.
From the Iron Mine to Crow Peak, watch for mountain goats. Remember, if you are close enough for the goats to change their behavior (stop feeding or resting or appear agitated), then you are too close. Also, prepare your heart for the surprise flush of a blue grouse from the weather-beaten whitebark pines between the two peaks.
Unless you spend too much time taking in the vistas, you can easily make it to Crow Peak and back (about 10 miles total distance) in one full day. However, this rugged, cross-country hike may be too tough for small children or poorly conditioned hikers.
Bring drinking water, as there is only one small stream (about halfway to the Iron Mine), and even that one may dry up by late summer. Snow clings to the area into June and even July in heavy snow years, so plan a late summer or early fall conquest. Mosquitoes can be a problem early in the season at the Iron Mine.
