Montana in March: Birch Creek Canyon

We awoke the next morning in Dillon to a totally unexpected 8 inches of fresh snow. Even Mike and Jackie were surprised. It was the most snow they'd seen in all year in a valley that only gets 10 inches of total precipitation a year. Perfect for skiing. Mike had meetings that Monday morning, so the girls slept in and we hung out with Jackie.

Mike took off work after lunch, and we loaded up the FJ Cruiser and the Tacoma and headed south on I-15 then jumped off at Birch Creek canyon and headed into Beaverhead National Forest. This is a favorite haunt of Mike and Jackie, who head out into the surrounding mountains most every Sunday.

We drove up the canyon on the forest service road through deepening snow and parked near the gate, donned skis, and continued up the road in the non-motorized zone in untracked snow. It was beautiful with the fresh snow coating the trees, covering the bare ground and old crust. Their dog Khaki did the terrier thing and ran ahead and back, ahead and back.

We worked up hill in the western style until we came to a long, steep climb in the road. Jackie said they usually went around this hill, but challenged me to try it. It was quite steep, just at the limits of adhesion for my skis. A nice challenge, and at the top was a wonderful panoramic view of the surrounding peaks.

I caught my breath and took a bunch of pictures, only to see the rest of the crew climbing the hill below. Soon we were all reunited at the top. The trail went on up the narrowing valley, but afternoon was waning and we needed to get back to start dinner, so we turned around there and took turns snow plowing down the hill we'd just come up.

Ann and I went last. There were numerous crashes on the way down, and Jackie took a pretty good tumble and scooted down the rest of the way. When we got to the bottom, Jackie had her pants rolled up and was packing snow on her knee. Not good! It was not stable and she couldn't stand on it - even worse. So Brynn, Erin, and I headed down to get the saucer she and Erin had been sledding in just the day before from the FJ, while Mike stayed with her and Ann skied down Mike and Jackie's skis. Erin brought the sled to me on her back (she said she looked like a Ninja Turtle, which she did), then I skied it up to Jackie while Erin brought the truck closer to the gate.

Mike pulled Jackie down the hill while she tried to stay on the saucer and I tried to keep her and the saucer from sliding sideways off the trail. It was a lot of work even going down hill. We were very grateful that we parked low and skied high and so didn't have to evacuate uphill. Ironically, a few years ago when Mike and Jackie were skiing alone, Mike fell and broke his leg and Jackie had to ski out, drive to cell reception, and return with the search and rescue team to evacuate Mike.

By the time we got to the bottom, Jackie was shivering from sitting in a saucer full of snow. We got her in the truck and Mike drove her to the ER while Ann, the girls, and I took the FJ home. We stopped at the grocery to buy fixins for a tex-mex dinner Ann had planned.

By the time Mike and Jackie got home from the hospital, we had beans, guacamole, sauteed peppers, and margaritas ready. Jackie was in a knee brace - torn MCL/ACL. No fun. Two weeks of rehab, then surgery, then more rehab.

We left the next morning on a crazy drive to Ann Arbor instead of home so Ann could help with some of her mom's legal and medical issues. We had a great time visiting the Dillon family. Sad to see Jackie injured, but we always have fun with them. Hope all goes well with her return to activity.

Montana in March: Hyalite Canyon

 Next stop was Gallatin Gateway Inn to meet Ann's brother Michael and his family. They live a few hours west in Dillon, but came east to Bozeman to ski with us.

The Gallatin Gateway Inn is the former station on the electric railway from Chicago to Pugot Sound where visitors to Yellowstone freshened up and maybe spent the night before the bus ride through the Rockies to the park. Now it's been lovingly restored as and inn and reception center. We had a nice meal together and enjoyed the Spanish Revival architecture, spent the night, and were up the next day for a ski in Hyalite Canyon.

Hyalite Canyon is a Forest Service recreation area for nearby Bozeman, and is nicely groomed in the winter. We parked at the reservoir and hopped on the trails. At start level, again it was old, wet snow. Grooming was evident but not fresh. As we climbed the mountainside on a forest road, we left the regularly groomed area behind and continued into the fresh snow zone. Again a classic western ski route, up the mountain until you are done, the back down the way you came. We the same variety of weather as at Lone Mountain. Gray, drizzle, sun, fresh snow, back to drizzle. Amazing the changes in weather with elevation.

It was fun, though not quite as scenic as Lone Mountain, and great fun to be out on skis with Mike, Jackie and the girls, who were home visiting. We don't get to see Brynn and Erin much now that they've left home and live elsewhere.

We got back to the truck only to find it flat. So we had snacks, put on the spare, visited some more. Erin and Jackie did some sledding.

Once we were ready to go, we had to decide where to go. Mike had to be back at work the next morning, so they were heading home. We had two more days in our vacation, and had originally thought maybe we'd ski in Yellowstone. But after finding that the roads had just been plowed in Yellowstone and the snow coach tours were over for the year, we decided to instead accompany Mike and Jackie home to Dillon, visit there, and ski with them on their home turf. So off we went into the sunset, over the two ranges to the Beaverhead Valley and Dillon. Always a beautiful drive.

The broad, high valleys and snowcapped peaks of southern Montana have always been one of my favorite parts of the Rockies. I often find the front range of the Colorado Rockies somewhat claustrophobic. Here you can see forever, and still have the mountains.

Montana in March: Lone Mountain Ranch

We've always wanted to visit Montana in the winter, but it seems we're always passing through in summer.  This year we finally made it. Late winter, but winter none the less. It was a bit close having chosen this year of all years. We were in the midst of a massive meltdown, with highs here in Houghton in the 60's and 70's throughout the second week of March. As we made our way across northern plains it hit 80. Unheard of. But Big Sky had a good snow year (unlike much of the Rockies) and temps were only slightly above normal, so there was plenty of wet, transformed base.


Our destination was chosen long ago: Lone Mountain Ranch. It had been our primary goal for any winter trip to Montana since we first heard of it. Consistently ranked one of the top cross country ski resorts in the country, it's situated in the Rockies of southern Montana across the valley from the massive Big Sky downhill resort and Lone Mountain, not far from Bozeman and Yellowstone National Park.

Our check in had to be by 5:00 pm mountain time on Friday and Ann couldn't get off work until 2:00 pm eastern on Thursday, so we had an epic 22 hour drive ahead of us. We finally stopped in Bismark, North Dakota at 1:30 am, checked in, grabbed 5 hours of sleep, checked out with the same clerk we'd checked in with earlier in his shift, and hit the road again. The oil and gas boom in North Dakota was obvious at breakfast with all the young, male construction workers scarfing donuts and coffee with their bags and coolers next to them, ready to roll.

All the lodging and Lone Mountain is log cabin based, so we signed up for a private cabin as part of the sleigh and ski package. We arrived around 4:30, settled in a bit, and I had time for a quick ski before our sleigh ride to dinner at 6:30.

Temps were in the upper 30's and there was a light drizzle. The trails had been groomed the previous night, but were soft and granular. It was classic western skiing. You go up, up, up for an hour, then come down in 20 minutes. The scenery was beautiful. As I climbed from 6,200 feet the drizzle turned to pellet snow, then to light snow. The sun even broke out a few times. I love the variety of conifers in the Rockies. And the broad valley of Big Sky offered unmatched views.

After arriving we and the other guests were treated to a horse drawn sleigh ride up the mountain where we we had dinner in a log cabin heated by, and our dinner cooked over, a large wood stove rescued from an old railroad lodge. Light was provided by kerosene lamps. Entertainment was provided by the humor of the chef and music by the talented western folk singer who also drove our sleigh. It was interesting, but not my cup of tea really. I'm not one to like dinner with a crowded table of strangers, country folk music, or prime rib and potatoes. But I did like the rustic setting and off-grid feel.

Lone Mountain Ranch is a former dude ranch, and it continues that  tradition in the style of its accommodations, its food, and its summer horseback riding programs. For folks seeking that aesthetic, it's perfect. For me though, I prefer the Alpine style and elegance of their eastern competition: Trapp Family Lodge. Still, we had a good time and the setting is wonderful.

The next morning, Ann and I got out our classic skis and toured Walking Jim's Way. This was a gentler rolling cruise through the woods along a steeper side valley. More of the many conifers set against the mountain across the valley, along with some fresh, wet snow made for beautiful scenery and slow skiing.

In the afternoon, the ranch offered free shuttles to 7,000 feet and fresh snow since it they had not been able to groom the night before due to warm temperatures. Ann decided to stay behind, relax, and take advantage of resort amenities, while I got out the skate skis and jumped in the shuttle van. My goal, to ski to the high point of the trails  at 8,400 feet, then descend via the advanced trails back to the cabin. It was quite a workout. With an inch of fresh, super sticky snow and the elevation, I was glad to stop and take a few pictures. The slow snow had the additional effect of taming the advanced descents. Not all  bad - on an icy day they would have been very challenging - but I found myself having to skate down even moderate hills.

In all, a fun stay. Not one I feel compelled to revisit, but unique and memorable. Skis, snow, the Rockies - what more could one ask?