Hike to Blaine Mountain, Montana

Drive to the trailhead via Foothill Road. To find FoothillRoad, simply take Highway 35 fromKalispell towards Bigfork. Turn off Highway 35 onto Lake Blaine Road. LakeBlaine Road becomes Foothill Roadafter a few miles. 

Stayon Foothill Road until you see Browns Gulch Road on yourleft. Head up this dirt road. After a few miles you should see NFD Road 5385 split off to theleft. This road winds back and forth as it climbs upward on the mountainside. Take thisroad as far as you can - until itends at the trailhead. The trailhead is clearly marked with a large FlatheadNational Forest sign. The trail is wide and easily followed for the first fewmiles. 

Hike onthis four wheeler trail for 3 to4 miles. It winds around the mountainside and generally up. It leadsto Trail Number 20, known to long time locals as the Hemler CreekTrail – the trail head that will take you over the mountains to the Alpine TrailNumber 7.

TheAlpine Trail runs along the crest of the Swan Range for over 50 miles. You willbe intersecting it from Trail Number 20 after a rigorous climb upward throughdense forest for approximately 3 miles. As a point of reference, you will hiketo the Alpine Trail after approximately 6 rigorous miles from where you parked your vehicle.

The viewsfrom the Alpine Trail are spectacular. You will see the Great Northerns to theeast above the Hungry Horse Reservoir and a few peaks of Glacier National Parkto the northeast.

Upon intersectingthe Alpine Trail, immediately head north – this is towards Blaine Mountain. TheAlpine Trail winds around the Swan Range to the east and north – you willalso be losing and gaining elevation many times over the next couple of miles.

After a couple of miles of spectacular hiking on the AlpineTrail, be looking to cross Jenny Creek - this is the small drainage that spillsout of Jenny Lake from elevations above you. You should also have been able tocatch occasional glimpses of the back side of Blaine Mountain whilehiking for the past couple of miles. It will appear too far away and too highup to summit considering the fact you have already climbed over the Swan Rangethis morning. Take heart, you can do this!

This iswhere it gets tricky…Once you cross Jenny Creek, you hike another 1/2 mile orso. At some point you will come to an area where the Alpine Trail widens andsplits. One trail leads to the west and the other continues north and east.Take the trail that leads west and up the mountain – this is the Jenny Laketrail. Stay on this trail (even when it seems to disappear) over rocky terrainand steep climbs. Eventually you will run into Jenny Lake. Jenny Lake sits acouple of hundred feet below the pinnacle of Blaine Mountain. Rest here andsoak your feet!

As yousit at the lake resting, Blaine Mountain will be standing watch over you. Itbeckons you to climb it. You drag your tired feet and aching legs onward…noreally, it’s time to get moving!

To summit Blaine Mountain, you will need to head around thenorth end of Jenny Lake. This will look impassable to you and difficult. Do notbe fooled! It is only another 30 minutes to the summit of Blaine Mountain andis well worth the effort. Head to the north end of Jenny Lake and split off thetrail you hiked in on and up the mountainside.

At thispoint you will heading off trail up a lightly forested alpinemountainside. The climb is relatively steep but is easy going. Take your timeand use Blaine Mountain as your reference point. You will continually get abetter view of Jenny Lake and the Great Northerns to the east. Once youreach the top of this alpine climb, continue up the ridge of the mountaintowards the south. This will quickly take you to the summit of BlaineMountain. 

Thesummit of Blaine Mountain is spectacular. In this hiker’s opinion, it affordsbetter views of the Flathead Valley than even Mount Aeneas offers. 360 degreeviews that never seem to end with lakes on both sides of you and mountain peaksgalore.

LakeBlaine sits directly below you on the west side with Jenny Lake on the eastside. Sit, enjoy and rest up - you will need it for the 9-mile trek home!