 ooking for
somewhere you can take a hike in a wilderness area, as easy or difficult as you like,
along a famous blue-ribbon river, with easy vehicle access? That sounds like a tall order,
but fortunately the combination exists in the Beartrap Canyon of the Madison River. After
a short drive from Bozeman, you can leave your vehicle and within a few steps be in the
Beartrap Canyon unit of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. This is a unique wilderness area, one
of the only official wilderness areas comprised primarily of Bureau of Land Management
land. Like all wilderness areas, it is closed to motorized access, so you won’t be
sharing the trail with motorcycles and ATV’s. Except for during the fall hunting
season, the trail is closed to horse use also, so you won’t be dodging horse
droppings. For that matter, the trail gets very little horse use even during the fall, and
for all practical purposes anyone you meet will also be afoot. The Beartrap is one of
those spots that lend itself to hiking by just about anyone. The trail along the river has
a very gentle gradient, and makes for one of the easiest wilderness walks you’re
likely to find. If you’re more adventurous, the Beartrap won’t disappoint you,
though. Once you get up in the canyon a few miles, you’ll find some of the roughest
whitewater in Montana, and if you head off-trail the canyon walls are exceptionally steep
and rugged, so much so that (particularly on the east side of the canyon) you may wish you
had ropes and technical climbing gear.To reach the Beartrap Canyon, take US 191 west
from Bozeman five miles to Four Corners. 191 turns left (south) toward Big Sky and West
Yellowstone at that point, but you want to continue straight ahead onto MT 84, the Norris
Road. After about seventeen somewhat narrow and curvy miles, you reach the Madison River.
The highway parallels the river from this point, and crosses to the west side in about
four miles. Just before the bridge, signs indicate the turnoffs for the Beartrap
Recreation Area. You want to take the one on the left (south) side of MT 84. A couple of
miles of gravel road dead-ends at the trailhead for the Beartrap Canyon.
The area along both sides of the river from the point where MT 84 first reaches the
Madison is BLM land, and is open to public use. It’s a very popular camping,
floating, and fishing area. Being so close to Bozeman, it’s not the place to go if
you’re seeking solitude, although you’ll find as you hike up into the canyon the
crowds thin out dramatically. As camping areas go, the Beartrap Recreation Area is a
little short in the tree and shade department. This stretch of the Madison runs more
toward sagebrush and rattlesnakes, but if you’re wanting to spend a couple of days
combining hiking up into the canyon with floating and fishing on the river, it’s the
obvious choice. The Madison River is obviously a big plus, though, and offers very good
fishing (particularly early and late in the season. The campsites are undeveloped pullouts
along the river, although there are outhouses where the highway first hits the river, near
the bridge, and at the trailhead.
The trail runs along the east side of the river, although there are very good hiking
opportunities along the west side also, which we’ll return to after a bit. The canyon
extends for a bit over eight miles, and is very rugged and scenic the entire way. It used
to be possible to hike clear through the canyon, but access at the south end is now closed
off. Montana Power Company has posted the area around the power generation plant below
Ennis Dam, and so now you can only hike to within about a quarter mile of the power plant
and must retrace your steps back out on the same route. The Montana Power Company is in
the process of selling off their dams and hydroelectric power plants (summer 2000), and so
the plant in the Beartrap Canyon will soon be under new ownership. I don’t expect any
change in the access restrictions, though.
The canyon walls are high and steep, rising from about 1500 to 2000 feet above the
river. The first break (and only break of any significance) along the east side of the
river comes approximately halfway through the canyon where Beartrap Creek enters the
Madison. This is a nice camping spot for backpackers. Unfortunately, exploration up
Beartrap Creek is prohibited beyond about a quarter mile. Above that is part of Ted
Turner’s Flying D ranch, and trespassing is prohibited. So, for all practical
purposes you’ll need to stay in the canyon bottom along the river, which really
isn’t a disadvantage. The entire canyon is very scenic, particularly above Beartrap
Creek where the sagebrush gives way to pine and juniper covered slopes. Wildlife is
abundant, and if you’re there during early morning or late evening you’re likely
to see mule deer. Black bear are also fairly common, and it is not unheard of to see elk,
particularly in late winter and early spring. I have also heard a reliable report of
mountain goat sightings, which would be a real treat. Of course, most visitors will likely
consider the Madison River the main attraction. Not far above the mouth of Beartrap Creek
is where the serious whitewater starts, with the Greenwave, Kitchen Sink, and Whitehorse
rapids. These rapids contain up to Class IV whitewater, are no place for novice floaters,
and there have been fatalities here. Floaters put in just above the power generation
plant, float through the canyon, and take out at the Warm Spring Access, which lies across
the river from the trailhead. A couple of outfitters offer float trips through the canyon,
and it is most entertaining to watch their rafts, as well as private rafters and kayakers
thread their way through the boulders and churning whitewater.
Most hikers will be well advised to pack along a fishing rod. Particularly as you get
further up into the canyon, there are some tremendous looking, deep emerald green pools
that anglers will find irresistible. Be aware, though, that the Madison
below Ennis Lake can get warm enough to threaten trout survival during the dog days of
summer. Ennis Lake is basically a flooded hay meadow and only about ten feet deep for the
most part. It acts as a giant solar collector, and normally by mid-summer the river below
the dam is running quite a bit warmer than the upper river. To date, fish kills have only
occurred in the lower river well below the canyon, where it spreads out and slows down
closer to Three Forks. Still, if the weather has been hot and sunny, the survival rate of
fish that are caught and released is low, and in the interest of preserving the resource
you might want to consider giving them a break. Early and late in the season, though, or
if the weather’s been cool, the Beartrap Canyon is great fishing. It gets
considerably less fishing pressure than the more accessible parts of the river, and rest
assured, there’s some big ones in those deep pools.
If you want to explore off-trail, I recommend you do it on the west side of the
Madison. I’ve climbed and hiked around a fair bit on the east side, and in my
experience it is mostly an exercise in frustration. It’s far too steep, brushy, and
rocky for most casual hikers to enjoy, and not steep and cliffy enough for the hardcore
rock climbing crowd. Fortunately, there’s some excellent off-trail hiking
opportunities on the other side of the river.
The river tends to be deep and swift in the canyon, and while it may be possible to
ford it in some spots during low water, I can’t recommend it. Better to start hiking
up the west side at the mouth of the canyon. Instead of turning onto the Beartrap Canyon
access road off MT 84, cross the bridge and continue along the west side of the river to
the Warm Spring access. This popular access point is where the highway departs the Madison
and follows Warm Springs Creek to Norris. Cross Warm Springs Creek, (usually possible
without getting wet) and follow the trail along the west side of the river. After about a
mile and a half the river bends around a rock outcropping, and just above that a creek
comes in from the west. The area for several miles to the west is state-owned land, part
of the MSU Red Bluff Research Station, and also includes some scattered parcels of BLM
land, and you can hike to your heart’s content. The Red Bluff area was the scene of
extensive mining activity dating from the 1860’s until recent years (although there
is still some limited mining going on). While the tailing piles and other mining refuse
doesn’t particularly make for a wilderness ambiance, it is still interesting to
explore. Mule deer are abundant, up to a hundred or so elk sometimes utilize this area,
and I once even encountered a lone bull bison, no doubt an escapee from the Flying D ranch
across the river.
The aforementioned creek entering the Madison from the west offers a break in the
canyon that allows a more gradual climb to the top of the canyon walls. You can then
continue south above the Beartrap Canyon, and be rewarded with superb views of the Madison
far below. It’s public land nearly until you’re above the power generation
plant, which is farther than most will care to hike. Then, you can either retrace your
steps back to the river or make a loop to the north back to your vehicle at the Warm
Springs access.
If you’re staying on the Beartrap Canyon trail along the river, you would have to
make a serious effort to get lost. If you’re venturing off-trail, though, you should
always be carrying maps. As always, I recommend the 1:24000 USGS topographical maps. For
the east side of the river, the Beartrap Creek quadrangle will cover the bulk of
possibilities, and on the west side the Norris quadrangle does likewise.
The Beartrap Canyon offers good year-around hiking possibilities. Most use obviously
occurs during the summer months, but I hike there all year long. The surrounding area receives
less precipitation than many parts of Montana, and the open slopes to the west get a good
bit of wind which tends to clear off what snow does fall. If you get high up into the
timber on the east side of the river the snow can get deep, but otherwise I have never
encountered snow depth sufficient to discourage hiking.
So, if you’re looking for a unique wilderness hike, check out the Beartrap Canyon.
See you along the trail. |
