GPS Coordinates: Trailhead—N 45° 45’ 53.85”, W 110° 59’ 18.98”
Rating: Moderate
Trail Length: 2.8 miles Round Trip (turn around at knoll)
Location: Bridger Range North of Bozeman
Elevation: 5676 Feet at Trailhead
Elevation Gain: 450 feet to ridge beyond knoll
Bloom Season: May to Late September
Peak Bloom: Late June to Early August
Maps: U.S.G.S. Miser Creek, U.S.F.S. Gallatin National Forest: West Half or East Half
Photos on this page (Top to Bottom): taper-leaved beardtongue, yellow columbine, Oregon grape, Parry's townsendia, shooting stars, glacier lilies, star-flowered Solomon's seal. Click to enlarge.
Photos by Carolyn Hopper
Blog:
6-28-09 We continue to love this trail. Today the sticky geraniums and Canada violets were at their peak. The arrowleaf balsamroot was about done with a few flowers hanging on in the shady areas. Little mountain sunflowers are starting to bloom. The usual flowers were there including bluebells, yarrow, lupine spp., Wood’s rose, yellow columbine, false Solomon’s seal, striped coralroot, white (Richardson’s) geranium, low larkspur, bedstraw, Oregon grapes, rosy pussytoes, and bladder campions.
9-06-09 Most of the summer flowers are over and now comes the foliage and fruit show. The only flowers we saw blooming today were late lupines, fleabane, blazing stars (on the way to the trailhead), spirea, asters, and a few bee balm, and harebells. We were treated to a display of white snowberries, red rose hips, blue Oregon grapes, black chokecherries, orange mountain ash berries, and neon-day-glo red-orange wartberry fairy bell berries. The chokecherry leaves are turning red, the dogbane yellow, and the Oregon grapes leaves are turning red. The grasses all have see heads and add the yellow to beige understory in the open areas.
7-18-10 Each year is different in the timing and proliferation of the flowers. Today the bee balm was spectacular along with large blooming mountain hollyhocks. The usual sticky geranium, common yarrow, and later flowering lupine spp. put on their show. In lesser quantity, but showy nonetheless, were the white northern bedstraw, red clover, common harebells, Drummond’s anemone, yellow columbine, twisted-stalk, Canada violet, heartleaf arnica, red short-styled onions, western coneflowers, white bog orchids, Richardson’s (white) geranium, birchleaf spirea, Wood’s rose, healall, and golden aster.
6-12-11 Flowers are a couple of weeks late due to heavy snows and cold weather. Today was 60° with rain. Four fishermen were trying their luck in the roaring creek next to the trail. Arrowleaf balsamroot and ballhead waterleaf were the flowers of the day. We could only hike to the large stream crossing since we weren’t wanting to wade in knee length water. A surprise was finding a few calypso orchids on the steep moss and fern-covered hillsides to the right of the trail about ½ way to the top. Remnants of the heavy snow were seen in snow banks along the steep hillside. We saw lots of Oregon grape, meadow rue (in full bloom), rock clematis, starry Solomon plume, Canada violets, small-flowered woodland stars, and wartberry fairy-bells. A few chocolate lilies were blooming along the trail. Other flowers in bloom included field pussytoes, baneberry, and the last of the shooting stars. |