Distance: 3.5 miles

Trailhead: Trailhead at Pattee Canyon Recreation Area

Trail Ends: Loop

The Sam Braxton Trail is named after a well-known Missoula skier, bicyclist and outdoorsman. This trail loops around the southeast portion of Pattee Canyon Recreation Area.

You might want to pick up one of Lolo National Forest's Pattee Canyon brochures before exploring this trail. While the trail is signed, you can be confused easily by old horse-logging skid trails and other trails that crisscross the area.

Look for giant old-growth western larch and ponderosa pine, Montana's state tree, near the beginning of the trail. Careful observers will discover remnants of Missoula homesteads along the trail. Savor your journey into the past, but remember these artifacts are parts of archaeological sites protected by law. Please leave for others to enjoy and study.

The trail goes above and around the ski trail network. In the winter it is the only ski trail in the complex that you can take your dog on. This trail is not one of the groomed ski trails in the system.

Area Map: Pattee Canyon Recreation Area Map

USGS Map 1: Southeast Missoula, Missoula Trails Brochure

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