Beehive Basin

One of our favorite hikes here is Beehive Basin. It's 6.5 miles round trip and a 1400 foot gain in altitude to 9,200 feet at the top. I hiked this trail on July 10, and there was still quite a bit of snow above 8,600 feet. We stopped at 8800 feet because we were knee deep in snow!

Snow at this altitude in July is definitely unusual, even for Montana. As a result, Beehive Basin has had a very late "spring" and the wildflowers were still very plentiful. But, the best part was that the cutthroat trout in the lake were very hungry.

These fish are the native Westslope cutthroat trout which are also the Montana state fish. Their name derives from the bright orange markings underneath its jaw. It is an endangered species, so we practice catch and release, and I actually find myself thanking the fish for letting me catch them.

Halfway up the trail is what we call the "rock pile". We always stop there for the views of Lone Peak. Monday was a particularly clear day, so we lingered a little longer than usual to enjoy this sight.

At the top, the trail opens out into a beautiful alpine meadow surrounded by the Spanish Peaks. The air was so clear that we could see 100 miles all the way to the Tetons. This is truly a Rocky Mountain high.

On our way back down, we spotted a moose in the meadow just below the "rock pile". She was quite anxious for us to move on, and watched us all the way through the meadow. Perfect ending to a spectacular hike.