Black Butte

Black Butte of the Gravelly Range, southwest of Ennis, MT, is arguably the easiest of the mountain range highpoints in Montana to bag. It’s basically just a giant chuck of volcanic rock jutting through the earth and is somewhat of an anomaly of the Gravelly’s which are mostly just large rolling hills. Don’t let the 10,547′ elevation fool you. Thanks to the numerous roads that pervade the Gravelly’s you’re able to park within about a mile of its summit so you only end up have to ascend 1,250′. If you’re going to venture all the way into the heart of these mountains to summit Black Butte (it’s a 1.5 hr. drive from the highway to the trailhead) I highly recommend a scenic cruise along Gravelly Range Road which heads north-south through the range and offers plenty of additional recreational opportunities.

Background

The Gravelly Mountains are one of the more elusive mountain ranges in the area. The mountains are mostly just large, rolling hills and dirt roads pervade the range providing easy access. You probably won’t find many hikers here as the range is primarily used by hunters and for the scenic drives. Additionally, the range has been the site of several grizzly attacks within recent years so it’s important to be bear aware while recreating in the range.

I’m not sure how first I stumbled upon Black Butte but in late 2018 I really started to obsess over exploring new areas around Bozeman and I guess the fact that it’s the range highpoint made it stand out. It’s easily accessible by vehicle and is an extremely easy hike to the summit from the road; probably one of easiest Montana highpoints to bag if not the easiest. Black Butte is definitely an outcast being the chunkiest of the named peaks in the range and at 10,547′ it’s surprisingly tall considering how easy it is to get to the top.

The Adventure Begins…

I left Bozeman on a Friday evening after work hoping to camp close to the trailhead so I could knock out the peak early in the morning in order to have more time to explore other parts of the range. I had initially planned to camp at one of the campgrounds near the Lyons Bridge Fishing Access just off of Highway 287 but after grabbing a bite to eat at the Grizzly Bar & Grill I decided I wanted to get even closer to the trailhead and began the long drive (1.5 hrs.) up Standard Creek Road which enters the range from the east.

Standard Creek Road is a very well-maintained dirt road which leads deep into the heart of the Gravelly’s-perfect for anyone who wants to get a quick taste of the range. There are a number of designated campsites along this road but it was dark and I didn’t notice any of these on the way up. I ended up camping at the Wolverine Basin trailhead which is just a short distance from Black Butte.

I awoke to a beautiful sunrise the next morning in a area very foreign to me. It was nice to finally see what the scenery I had been driving through. From here it’s another 5ish miles to the turnoff for Gravelly Range Road, which runs north-south through the range. On the way you’ll pass by Black Butte Cabin which can be rented out and would make for an excellent base camp to do some exploring in the range.

Near the junction of Gravelly Range Road you’ll get your first view of Black Butte. It’s now up to you where to park as the destination is obvious. I wanted to get as close as possible so I headed south at the junction for Gravelly Range Road, drove for about 1.5 miles, and parked alongside the road where it abruptly kinks to the east. There’s no parking lot since there’s no official trailhead.

On the Trail

Getting to the “trailhead” is the majority of the challenge for this one. It’s clear where to go from the parking spot-simply head west toward the giant chunk of rock protruding from the earth! There’s no trail so you’ll be hiking through some open fields for the first 3/4 mile or so.

From a distance you can see a sort “ramp” that slices through the eastern face of the butte-this is the point you want to shoot for for the simplest ascent. At the base of the ramp you will find a trail that leads you most of the way to the top. It gets a little steep in spots but it doesn’t last long and you’ll soon find yourself emerging near the top of the butte where it flattens out. At this point simply head for the summit which is marked by a large cairn.

The Summit

The summit provides some incredible views of the area. I spent much time at the top with my map identifying the surrounding mountain ranges and other features of the Gravelly’s. The Snowcrest Range to the west intrigued me more than anything. It’s an extremely remote range and, from what I can tell, there’re no easy access points. The Greenhorn Range to the north, a sub-range of the Gravelly’s, also caught my attention.

Gravelly Range Road

If you’ve put in all the effort to drive to the heart of the Gravelly’s you might as well take a drive along the scenic Gravelly Range Road. The road is in great shape making it accessible by any vehicle. There are all kinds of spots to camp along this road and even an official campground-Clover Meadows Campground. Forest service road #292 will lead you out of the range and spit you out at Ennis, MT making for a great loop through the Gravelly’s.

Along forest service road #292 you’ll drive past the remnants of the Wigwam fire which decimated the area in the summer of 2018, just a month prior to my visit. It was incredible to observe the desolate forest and I even found the charred skull of some unlucky critter that may have perished during the fire.

Either the memory of past bliss is the anguish of today, or the agonies which are, have their origin in the ecstasies which might have been.

-Edgar Allan Poe