Autumn in Montana easily feels like the shortest season. It arrives quietly, hinting that it’s on its way in August, turns the landscape gold in September and October, and disappears almost as quickly as it came. Somewhere between there is a glorious window of crisp mornings, changing leaves and that unmistakable feeling that winter isn’t far behind.
When the Seasons Shift
You can start to feel the shift in late August. The bugs die down, the sun loses some of its intensity, and there’s a slight crispness to the air. By September, autumn is unmistakably on its way. Daylight disappears fast, trails and streams grow quieter, birdsong fades, and the woods take on that euphoric smell of decaying foliage.
Best of all, hiking temperatures are just about perfect.
Hyperphagia for the Alpine
Once autumn is in the air, especially in September, it starts to feel a little like crunch time. There are only so many weekends left to get into the alpine before winter makes access more difficult. It’s this time where you reflect on everything you had hoped to do that summer, realizing some things will have to go back on the list for next year. It creates this almost insatiable urge to get up high as much as possible before winter makes access more difficult. The phrase for this feeling came to me this August: hyperphagia for the alpine.
Being up high while the seasons are changing also seems to temper that urgency with a kind of bittersweet gratitude. In listening to the wind, without birdsongs of summer, it blows across the ridgelines and mountaintops as if it’s whispering reminders of an old, familiar cycle. Like a quiet reminder that the landscape has done this countless times before, and it’s time to change again.
Sometimes it makes me want to hug the larch trees and forest floor because I know how much I’ll miss them.
Hyperphagia for the alpine: Just as bears have an insatiable urge to eat before winter arrives, I feel an insatiable urge to get into the alpine and soak up as much of it as possible. To somehow store enough of it to carry through the winter.
Ways to Make the Most of Autumn
Autumn’s shortness is part of what makes it special. You don’t need a big trip or bucket-list destination to make the most of it, either. Sometimes it’s simply a reason to change up your routine, get outside and pay attention to what’s happening around you.
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With less birdsong and quieter streams, the wind across the ridgelines somehow becomes more noticeable.
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Part of what makes autumn so good is its ephemerality. It never lasts quite long enough, which somehow makes the time you do get feel more valuable.
Gear for Autumn Hiking
Autumn doesn’t require an entirely different hiking setup, but shorter days, colder temperatures and changing weather make a few pieces of gear especially useful. We only recommend gear we’ve personally used and trust in the backcountry. Some links below are affiliate links, which help support Backyard Montana at no additional cost to you.
Recommended Day Hiking Gear
Suggested pack list:
