Trail Description
Haystack Mountain in the Boulder Mountains is a great hike close to Butte. We parked farther back on the road leading to the trailhead as there was still a fair amount of snow on the road. The hike from the low clearance vehicle starting coordinates begins hiking on an old double-track road. The double-track road is fairly open view views of the surrounding hills. After a half-mile, the double-track goes into the denser forest before arriving at the true trailhead. From the trailhead, you will pick up elevation quickly. This hike gains over 2,000-2500ft of elevation in a short distance, so be prepared for this! Views from the top include views of the Continental Divide, Elk Park, Tobacco Root Mountains, Highland Mountains, Anaconda-Pintler Mountains, and more.
We suggest hiking this mid-summer. When we hiked Haystack Mountain in Spring, there was a significant amount of snow, making the trail difficult to follow at times and the last bit to the summit difficult to ascend safely due to its avalanche-prone slope.