Did you know that right outside your door is one of the most extensive hiking trails on the continent? The Continental Divide Trail was established by congress in 1978 to create access to “the most scenic, wild and remote landscapes in America,” and it runs right alongside Butte. The idea was to create a 3,100 mile trail that would scale the heights of the divide from Canada to Mexico. Today, this trail is 70% accessible and is, in fact, in great shape in our area.
If you would like to try it out, a really nice day hike begins at the top of Homestake Pass from the Delmoe Lake Exit. If you take a left from the exit and cross over the interstate, there will be a parking lot immediately to your right. The trailhead is right across the road. Last weekend a friend and I took a section of this trail that travels from Homestake Pass into Butte, ending at the bottom of Maude S Canyon Trail near Three Bears. It was a warm fall day with good conditions for hiking. We set out at about 1:00 PM, believing the hike to be 9 miles and figuring this would be enough time to complete it before dark. The trail begins by winding through the woods for several miles, constantly climbing; within an hour we were really gaining some altitude and through occasional breaks in the trees could see amazing views that stretched from Butte through the Pinter Range. It climbed for another two hours, getting higher and higher into the highlands where the rock formations of the Boulder Batholith become increasingly more impressive as huge boulders stack precariously, towering above the trail. After the third hour of constant climbing, I was beginning to wonder how much higher the trail could possibly go. Then we ran into two bikers, the only other people we saw on the trail that day. They said where we were standing was 8.2 miles in, and the descent into Butte would begin soon (thank God). They also told us just near the end of the trail, at the top of the hill was an old homestead. We decided to leave the trail and take a look. At the very top of the mountain, built into a huge rock, was an old cabin. Although it was falling in and very dilapidated, you could see where people had strung up a tarp and camped for the night. There was also a jar with a small notebook inside where people keep a log of the date, weather and visitors who’ve been to the cabin. Looking at it, I was totally amazed someone put the work in to build a cabin that far up in the woods, but the view would be well worth the effort.
After a quick break, we continued on the trail until we reached the 9-mile end. Unfortunately, I had not accounted for the trail not linking up quite right with Maude S Canyon. There was about a mile of picking our way through the woods ahead, uncertainly aiming for where I thought the next trail may be. Luckily though, someone had tied pink marking tape along the trees all the way down to link up perfectly with Maude. This last hour and a half of the hike was by far the best. We wound through hollows where willows overhung a stream and some of the first deciduous trees seen that day grew. The leaves were falling around us as we hiked. It was a fairly quick and easy descent into Maude Canyon, and from there the trail is clearly marked and well used. By the end of the hike, to the truck at the canyon parking lot, I think it tallied up to around 12 miles. Not bad for a short day hike, especially considering it only took 4.5 hours.
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