WILD MOUNTAIN FARMS
  • WildMountainFarms
  • Wildflowers of Western Montana
    • Arnica
    • Arrowleaf Balsamroot
    • Bear Grass
    • Bee Balm
    • Blanket Flower
    • Bluebell
    • Blue Clematis
    • Blue Eyed Mary
    • Biscutroot
    • Bitterroot
    • Buttercup, Sagebrush
    • Buttercup, Common
    • Cinquefoil
    • Clover
    • Deptford Pink
    • Fireweed
    • Fleabane
    • Glacier Lily
    • GoldenRagwort
    • Goldenrod
    • Harebell
    • Indian Paintbrush
    • Kinickinick
    • Lady's Slipper
    • Larkspur
    • Lupine
    • Mouseeared Chickweed
    • Oregon Grape
    • Oxeye Daisy
    • Pasque Flower
    • Penstemon
    • Prarie Smoke
    • Round Leaf Alumroot
    • Salsify
    • Shooting Star
    • Tansy
    • Thimbleberry
    • Thistle
    • Trillium
    • Vetch
    • Wild Geranium
    • Wild Hyacinth
    • Wild Mustard
    • Wild Onion
    • Wild Rose
    • Wild Strawberry
    • Wild Sunflower
    • Wild Violet
    • Wild Campion
    • Woodland Star
    • Yarrow
    • Plant ID Books I Like
  • Kittens
  • About Us
    • Christie
    • Christie's Writing
    • Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
    • Dave
  • Education
    • About the Rocky Mountain Horse >
      • History of the Rocky Mountain Horse Breed
      • Other Mountain Horse Breeds
      • What They Look Like
      • Temperament of the Rocky Mountain Horse
      • What They Do
      • Where to Find a Rocky Mountain Horse
      • Cost of a Rocky Mountain Horse
      • Genetic Testing
    • Breeding Education >
      • Deciding to Breed
      • Choosing a stallion
      • Getting Started
      • Breeding Costs
      • Breeding Basics >
        • Timing Details
      • AI vs Live Cover
      • Pre-Breeding Preparation
      • Breeding Contract
      • Live Foal Guarantee
    • Basic Genetics >
      • Basic Genetics Expanded
    • Color Genetics >
      • Horse Color Genetics >
        • Basic Color Genes
        • Special Color Genes >
          • Special Color Details
        • The Colors >
          • Red
          • Bay
          • Black
          • White
          • Gray
          • Chocolate
          • Cream Gene Colors >
            • Palomino
            • Buckskin
            • Black Buckskin
            • Cremello
            • Perlino
            • Smokey Cream
          • Champagne
          • Paint
          • Roan
          • Appaloosa Horses
    • Raising a Foal Right
    • Transporting Horses Long Distance >
      • Transport Paperwork
      • Transport Equiptment (Big)
      • Transport Equiptment (Small)
      • Feed and Water For Transporting
      • Driving Practices for Transporting
      • Transport Tips
  • Our Horses
    • Lady
  • Our Animal Partners
  • Our Human Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Western Montana Riding Trails
  • The Pacific Crest Trail
    • Who We Are >
      • Why and What
      • Christie
      • Kaladin
      • The Horses
      • Riding Companions
      • Local Resources
      • Home Team
    • Strategy and Goals
    • PCT Basics
    • PCT Water
    • PCT Safety
    • PCT Timing
    • PCT Maps
    • PCT Permits
    • PCT Resources
    • PCT Contacts
    • PCT Gear >
      • backpacking gear List >
        • Shelter >
          • Tents
        • Sleeping Bag
        • Sleeping Pad
        • Camp Chair
        • Water Purifier
        • Water Reservoir
        • Kitchen Gear
      • horse packing gear
      • dog packing gear
      • safety gear
      • photography gear
      • packing organization
  • AirBnB Cabin
  • Goats
    • Goat Enclosures
    • Feeding Goats >
      • Feeding Dwarf Goats >
        • Dwarf Goat Hay
  • Horsepacking
    • How Many Horses
  • Sheep
  • Contact Info
  • Trial Page
  • New Page

Smith Creek Trail #29

Smith Creek Trail #29

Picture
OVERVIEW:  This trail starts with just over 5 miles of steady climbing in wooded or burned areas which can't be counted on for water access most of the year. Most of this trail works its way up and around the side of a single mountain. After about 5 miles, you finally wrap around that mountain and reach the top of the trail as you come up on Smith Pass. At this point, the terrain changes. You are no longer in forest but skirting some high mountain meadows. This is quite lovely, with beautiful views, lots of water and wildflowers. (There are some good camping and horse camping areas here.) Shortly after this, you reach Smith Pass, which is a very narrow, shear path around the mountain's edge, and then the trail descends rapidly towards two lakes with meadows for camping and fish for fishing. You may continue on this trail to reach another pass shortly after the lakes, where you will find wonderful views and connect to many of the most popular trails of the Northwestern side of the Bob Marshal. However, when we took this trail in Late July of 2018, we were turned back by snow that was impassable to horses before reaching the lakes, and ended up camping in some of the high mountain meadows just before the boundary to the Bob Marshal Wilderness. No regrets - it was a great trip, even if we did have to revise it on the fly!
DIRECTIONS TO TRAIL HEAD: 
  1. From Seeley Lake, take highway 83 about 27 miles north to Condon, Montana.
  2. Just before the Condon Air Strip, and just as you reach Condon, turn right onto Falls Creek Rd.
  3. Follow Falls Creek Rd. for about 3 1/4 miles. You will pass two large intersections with other roads and at each you stay to the Left to remain on Falls Creek Rd. Falls Creek Rd. ends at a T with Buerger Rd.
  4. Turn Right onto Buerger Rd. Follow Buerger Rd. for about 1 1/2 miles to the Trailhead.
  5. Just before the bridge over Smith Creek is the trailhead with some room for car parking. Continue over the bridge and on about 1/4 mile to where road ends at a trailer-friendly parking area with good camping and staging for horse packers with trailers.

Picture

BEFORE GOING TO ANY WILDERNESS AREA, CALL THE APPROPRIATE FOREST SERVICE OFFICE FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE TRAIL YOU PLAN TO TAKE:  Spotted Bear Ranger District 406-758-5376.

Click here for details about this trail

Location

raising rocky mountain horses
​for every rider

Because when the mountains are wild,
the horse shouldn't be!

Wild Mountain Farms
PO Box 209
Frenchtown, MT  59834
[email protected]
Christie and Dave Goodman

Contact Us

    Subscribe Today!

Submit
  • WildMountainFarms
  • Wildflowers of Western Montana
    • Arnica
    • Arrowleaf Balsamroot
    • Bear Grass
    • Bee Balm
    • Blanket Flower
    • Bluebell
    • Blue Clematis
    • Blue Eyed Mary
    • Biscutroot
    • Bitterroot
    • Buttercup, Sagebrush
    • Buttercup, Common
    • Cinquefoil
    • Clover
    • Deptford Pink
    • Fireweed
    • Fleabane
    • Glacier Lily
    • GoldenRagwort
    • Goldenrod
    • Harebell
    • Indian Paintbrush
    • Kinickinick
    • Lady's Slipper
    • Larkspur
    • Lupine
    • Mouseeared Chickweed
    • Oregon Grape
    • Oxeye Daisy
    • Pasque Flower
    • Penstemon
    • Prarie Smoke
    • Round Leaf Alumroot
    • Salsify
    • Shooting Star
    • Tansy
    • Thimbleberry
    • Thistle
    • Trillium
    • Vetch
    • Wild Geranium
    • Wild Hyacinth
    • Wild Mustard
    • Wild Onion
    • Wild Rose
    • Wild Strawberry
    • Wild Sunflower
    • Wild Violet
    • Wild Campion
    • Woodland Star
    • Yarrow
    • Plant ID Books I Like
  • Kittens
  • About Us
    • Christie
    • Christie's Writing
    • Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
    • Dave
  • Education
    • About the Rocky Mountain Horse >
      • History of the Rocky Mountain Horse Breed
      • Other Mountain Horse Breeds
      • What They Look Like
      • Temperament of the Rocky Mountain Horse
      • What They Do
      • Where to Find a Rocky Mountain Horse
      • Cost of a Rocky Mountain Horse
      • Genetic Testing
    • Breeding Education >
      • Deciding to Breed
      • Choosing a stallion
      • Getting Started
      • Breeding Costs
      • Breeding Basics >
        • Timing Details
      • AI vs Live Cover
      • Pre-Breeding Preparation
      • Breeding Contract
      • Live Foal Guarantee
    • Basic Genetics >
      • Basic Genetics Expanded
    • Color Genetics >
      • Horse Color Genetics >
        • Basic Color Genes
        • Special Color Genes >
          • Special Color Details
        • The Colors >
          • Red
          • Bay
          • Black
          • White
          • Gray
          • Chocolate
          • Cream Gene Colors >
            • Palomino
            • Buckskin
            • Black Buckskin
            • Cremello
            • Perlino
            • Smokey Cream
          • Champagne
          • Paint
          • Roan
          • Appaloosa Horses
    • Raising a Foal Right
    • Transporting Horses Long Distance >
      • Transport Paperwork
      • Transport Equiptment (Big)
      • Transport Equiptment (Small)
      • Feed and Water For Transporting
      • Driving Practices for Transporting
      • Transport Tips
  • Our Horses
    • Lady
  • Our Animal Partners
  • Our Human Partners
  • Contact Us
  • Western Montana Riding Trails
  • The Pacific Crest Trail
    • Who We Are >
      • Why and What
      • Christie
      • Kaladin
      • The Horses
      • Riding Companions
      • Local Resources
      • Home Team
    • Strategy and Goals
    • PCT Basics
    • PCT Water
    • PCT Safety
    • PCT Timing
    • PCT Maps
    • PCT Permits
    • PCT Resources
    • PCT Contacts
    • PCT Gear >
      • backpacking gear List >
        • Shelter >
          • Tents
        • Sleeping Bag
        • Sleeping Pad
        • Camp Chair
        • Water Purifier
        • Water Reservoir
        • Kitchen Gear
      • horse packing gear
      • dog packing gear
      • safety gear
      • photography gear
      • packing organization
  • AirBnB Cabin
  • Goats
    • Goat Enclosures
    • Feeding Goats >
      • Feeding Dwarf Goats >
        • Dwarf Goat Hay
  • Horsepacking
    • How Many Horses
  • Sheep
  • Contact Info
  • Trial Page
  • New Page