With some excellent snowstorms replenishing the mountains in April, we're still a ways out from hiking to the high country. Things are starting to open up though, and if you don't mind a little mud and snow, there is great hiking to be had all around Livingston.
Check out our local reports below, and feel free to call us at the shop for current conditions and ideas on great spring hikes around southwest Montana.
Happy trails!
Suce Creek
It’s mud season and with the latest storms, the words to report are thick and slick. The road to the Suce trailhead is open and drivable. The trail itself is messy but doable. A toppled tree is blocking the first creek crossing but can be navigated with a little bushwhacking. Expect muddy boots and paws if you and your pup want to do the full loop. Probably still not ideal for an enjoyable trail run, but have it at if you’re not afraid of some adverse conditions. Otherwise, wait for some sun and warmer temps to dry things up, which should happen through this weekend.
Photo by Stephen Brown
Deep Creek
On the south Deep Creek trail, there is minimal snow as far as the house rock above the first two switchbacks, so it's pretty easy hiking. Be on the lookout for moose; we have reports of at least nine different ones (including yearling calves) in the past month or so. The cows have started kicking out last year's calves, and things could get a little spicy once the new ones start to drop, especially with dogs around.
For North Deep Creek, at least the first two miles are pretty easy going with max snow accumulation of around three to four inches as of April 27.
Pine Creek
The Pine Creek trail is in good shape to the falls. There are a handful of downed trees across the trail, but nothing that can't be navigated. However, the downed trees increase and become less passable above the falls. The Forest Service has already cleared a fair amount of trees from winter wind storms, but a large amount of newly downed trees make it difficult to hike the steep sections from the top of the falls up. We will report back on when the Forest Service is able to clear the rest of the trail.
Mill Creek
Mill Creek is a great hiking option right now. The Jomaha trail is completely dry. The recent storms have only dropped around two inches or so, so it should still be fairly dry. The alternative approach to the Mill-East Mill divide at the Sidehill trail from the East Mill side is snow-packed but hikeable with some minor drifting in protected spots.
Thank you to our friends Steve Caldwell and Stephen Brown for all the great up-to-date trail information!
