Bitterroot Backpacking

"It was the highlight of our Montana experience!"

Montana's national parks are usually the top destination for visitors when they come to Montana, but when it's all said and done, their top memory is from their experience floating an alpine lake in the Bitterroot with Bitterroot Backpacking.

Between the incredible scenery without the crowds, relaxing alpine float, and the valuable stories and knowledge shared, It's easy to see why our tours are the highlight of our guests' vacations!

Nowhere else in the US compares! The Bitterroot is easily the most beautiful, most rugged, and emptiest (didn't see a single soul for 2 days) place to backpack in the US!

I see dog s**t, I clean it up. I see trash, I pick it up.

There are some people out there who seem to think that having a hiking outfitter operate in the Bitterroot negatively impacts the forest, when the opposite couldn't be more true.

Bitterroot Backpacking is not only a trail guiding service, but also a trail stewardship service. A service that only asks for recognition as payment.

Please recognize that we take very good care of the places we recreate at and leave them better than we found them.

Go up in elevation to escape the heat!!!

Did you know that for every 1000 ft of elevation you gain, the air temperature drops about 5 °F?

Location and humidity affects that temperature difference too.

In humid air, like when it's snowing or raining, the difference is closer to 3.3 °F per 1000 ft.

If you're sitting around a pile of rocks baking under the sun, the difference will be lesser.

If you're under the shade of a tree, that difference will be greater!

And if you made it to the end of this post and want to join us for a lovely day up at one of the alpine lakes in the Bitterroot, you can take $30 off each ticket by using promo code "Beat The Heat".

I double dog dare you to read this caption!

FREE TRIPS!!!

That's right! Just a few free trips we have planned coming up very soon!

#1 - Lil afternoon hikin up in Blue Mountain Rec on June 25th!
#2 - Floatin the Bitterroot River on July 9th!
#3 - Celebratin Pride month up at Coquina lake on Sunday July 14th!

Signup is through the Missoula Outdoors Meetup group or send me a message to reserve your spot!

Highlights from Memorial Day weekend! Join us for the wildflower extravaganza again MDW 2025!

This could be you as soon as TOMORROW!

Starting the season a bit early this year due to low snowpack and warm weather ahead. Looking forward to beautiful sunny days on the lakes!

A small sampling of wildflowers that can be found on the hillsides around Missoula right now!

Wanna hike and identify wildflowers this weekend? Shoot us a DM!

Long story short: Trails around the perimeter of the valley are drying out and wildflowers are starting to pop! Expect snow on trails and roads above 6000/6500 ft in elevation, especially if you're heading up one of the drainages in the Bitterroot. The further in you hike, the lower the snow level will be (vs the snow level around the perimeter of the valley)! Make sure to bring ice traction!!!! All of the lakes down in the Bitterroot are still frozen, except Fred Burr and Como, which are reservoirs that have begun to fill up!

1. Bear Creek Overlook - The road up to the TH is mostly clear, but expect a few deeper patches of snow on northern facing aspects that may hold up sedans and other low clearance, non 4wd vehicles. The trail is still mostly snow-covered and ice traction is recommended. Photo creds to Jean of !

2.Blodgett Creek + Overlook - The roads up to these THs are drying out, but mud still exists in places. Expect a small amount of snow near the top of Blodgett Overlook. Blodgett Creek is clear of snow for a considerable distance up the canyon. You won't have to worry about it unless you're going deep back there.

3. Camas and Ward are still completely snow-covered. The road to Camas TH will be covered in snow for the last 2 miles or so and the trail will likely be completely snow-covered. The Ward TH is accessible, but as previously stated, the snow line is around 6500 ft. Do not attempt to go higher unless you have knowledge in avalanche safety.

4.Fred Burr is a great option for a springtime hike in the Bitterroot! No snow, but lots of mud and water along the way. Expect to get your feet wet with all of the little creek crossings! The reservoir is filling up though and will be beautiful!

5.Missoula is drying out big-time! I personally hiked woods gulch last weekend and noticed it's drier than it usually is at this point in the year. Sentinel is completely free of snow. The trail to the top of Jumbo is still closed for the elk herd until May! Blue Mountain is also almost completely dry too, minus north facing aspects near the very top of Blue Mountain.

Feel free to DM us if you want an update for a specific trail!

Montana wildflower season is less than two months away!
1. Indian Paintbrush (May - Sept)
2. Arrowleaf Balsamroot (May - June)
3. Bitterroot (May - June)
4. Beargrass (Late June - Aug)
5. White-flower Beardtongue (Penstemon) (June - Aug)
6. Yarrow (May - Oct)
7. Glacier Lilies (May - Aug)

A Winter update from the Bitterroot. 🏔️

The snowpack in the Bitterroot is only 66% of the historic median for this time of year. (100% is normal.) If you Google "Montana Snotel Current Snow Water Equivalent % of Normal" you'll see that the story is the same across all of Montana.

Despite the low snowfall, we've had plenty of opportunities to get out and appreciate the snow that HAS fallen!

And with that said, Winter is long in Montana. There's still plenty of time left to get out and enjoy the snow.

P.S. Did you know Bitterroot Backpacking rents snowshoes and microspikes? Kids rentals are available too.

Luke here - If I had the opportunity to restart this business 10 times over again, I would choose restarting it in the Bitterroot every single time.

I've backpacked all over the US. The Smokies, Winds, Sierra Nevada, I've seen some pretty spectacular places, but the Bitterroot still takes the crown.

The lack of crowds, millions of acres of untouched wilderness, and incredible scenery cannot be compared to anywhere else in the contiguous US...

(And I literally haven't seen more than an episode of Yellowstone, so you can suck it, out-of-stater haters.)

Join Tom Turcich (), Savannah, and Bitterroot Backpacking for an incredible opportunity for adventure, photography, and storytelling in the Bitterroot Mountains of Montana!

- Backpack and camp 3 nights in the backcountry up Sheafman Canyon in the Bitterroot Mountains.

- Stay 2 nights at "The Camp at Gash Creek" () or "The Bitterroot Guest House" () with full amenities.

- Alpine Lake Packrafting on some of the most beautiful backcountry lakes you'll ever see in your life.

- Photography and Backpacking Instruction by Tom Turcich and Luke Hayduk. (Cameras not included)

- Astrophotography under some of the darkest nighttime skies in the US.

- Memorable Tintype Photography with Northland Studio .studio

2024 Performance Review. If you were my boss, would I get a raise?

Frost is beautiful evidence of an uncommonly seen phase transition: Deposition. Deposition occurs when a gas changes directly into a solid, skipping past the liquid phase entirely!

Hoarfrost (in these photos) is formed when excess water v***r in the air 'deposits' directly as solid ice onto surfaces that have been cooled below the frost point of the surrounding air, well below the freezing point of water. This happens only on cold, calm, and clear nights that allow heat to radiate away from the Earth's surface faster than it can be replaced by other nearby warm sources, or brought in by the wind.

Early this morning in Missoula, we saw clear skies, temps drop into the low 20s (well below the freezing point of water,) winds remain calm, and humidity rise to 100%, creating ideal conditions for hoarfrost to form in some places. These photos were taken at about 4500-6000 ft.

(I'm chock full of chemistry facts! My background is in chemical engineering and I'd love to make more posts like these in the future!)

A quick follow up to yesterday's fire lookout post:

Fire lookouts in Montana (and other states) are available to book on rec.gov. Dates can be reserved 6 mo in advance on a rolling basis.

The Medicine Point lookout is also available to book on rec.gov. The trip that I advertised yesterday includes this booking, but also includes guiding services, gear rental, all food and drinks, and transportation as needed.

The reason why Bitterroot Backpacking chose this fire tower is because my OPTIONS ARE LIMITED!!!! I cannot take guests on trips to any fire tower in the Bitterroot. This is one that I am permitted to run backpacking trips to. And so, I ask that you please consider staying at other fire lookouts if my posts have inspired you to look into staying in one next summer! Feel free to reach out if you'd like advice on which tower is best for you too!

One spooky night on a solo backpacking trip, a creature lumbered into my camp and began to mess with my backpack in the middle of the night.

I woke up in a panic, peeked my head out of the tent, and could just barely see a large furry mass besides my backpack about 20 ft away. Instincts told me it was a bear. I grabbed the spray and a headlamp and shone it on the creature. It was a mountain goat.

The goat took off galloping about 2 seconds thereafter. I stepped out of my tent, grabbed my backpack, (it was licking the sweatstains on my backpack for the salts,) and went back to sleep.

Not long after, it returned. It turned into a game. I'd shoo the goat away and then 15 minutes later, it would return, sauntering through my camp.

After a few hours of this, I gave up. "You win, goat. Do whatever you want, but just let me sleep!" And so the goat, now triumphant, hobbled over to a flat spot about 50 ft away from my tent, plopped down, and took a nap...

And that's the "spooky" story of how I took a nap with a mountain goat. 🐐

Happy Halloween!

Sorry that the image quality isn't great! I used my shoe as my tripod.

Autumn in the Bitterroot 🍂

There's still plenty of time to get out there to see some colors! Feel free to reach out for free trail suggestions or autumn backpacking advice!

A year ago, I had the honor of showing this wonderful bunch of people around the most beautiful National Park in America.

If you're ever in Glacier or planning a trip there and need advice on what to do in the area, feel free to message or call Bitterroot Backpacking!

Here's the official list of services I provide for that area!
- Custom Itineraries
- Backpacking Gear Rental
- Alpine Lake Packraft Rental

(Now's the perfect time to plan!)

Autumn in the Bitterroot Mountains comes in all shapes and colors. From the golden hue of the Larch, to the orange and reds of deciduous foliage (like huckleberry!), autumn out here has plenty of beautiful views to offer.

Join me for an Autumn excursion in the Bitterroot this coming month! The last official day of operation is Oct 15th and peak fall colors begin at the end of September!

Bitterroot high country at its finest.

Backpacking doesn't have to be tough!!!

When you book with me, you get an ultralight backpacking kit that makes backpacking an easy-breezy experience... (results may vary!)

We use
packs on most trips and offer as an alternative option! (Hutch is a local Missoula pack maker!)

The tents that we carry are less than 3lbs, and are big enough to fit two comfortably!

And the packrafts? Only 3.5 lbs each! knows what they're doing.

Check out our 'ultralight gear list' highlight in our bio for more info.

A plethora of new posts to celebrate the successful relinking of our Facebook and Instagram accounts!

A quote from a guest: "It's like Maroon Bells without 700 people..."

Let's leave no trace and recreate responsibly together! Wherever you go, no matter what time of year, it's important to plan ahead and prepare, travel and camp on durable surfaces, dispose of waste properly, leave what you find, minimize campfire impacts, respect wildlife, and be considerate to others! (That means you have to pick up your dog p**p!)

I recreate and work in all of the same places you do and pride myself on the fact that I and the folks on my tours leave no trace every time we're out there, so that when you head out, you get the same experience we do.

(I recognize that the person in the first pic is traveling on a surface that's not considered durable, but in a situation like that, we used every rock possible and did our best to only step on sturdy logs.)

Have you ever wanted to stay in a fire lookout? Here's your chance! I'm super excited to announce this last minute addition to the 2023 trip lineup: Medicine Point Lookout and Slate Lake, August 17th - 19th. A 26 ish mile, 3 day, point to point, trip along a high ridgeline that parallels Trapper Peak in the Bitterroot National Forest. Check out the "2023 Trips" page on bitterrootbackpacking.com for details.

Bitterroot Backpacking in Big Bend National Park! (That's, some good alliteration!)

In April 2024 we'll be offering our very first out-of-state trip in Big Bend National Park. Here's why we chose Big Bend over other desert-y destinations like the Grand Canyon, Zion, or Canyonlands:

- As one of the planet's most diverse desert ecosystems, It's home to the most bird species in any National Park.
- Over 1,200 previously known and newly discovered fossil species have been recorded here. The evidence of the shallow inland sea that once covered this area is still visible today. (pic #5)
- It is a 3 hour drive to the closest airport and borders Mexico, therefore much less busy than other parks in America.
- And finally: The cacti may be pointy, but they make the prettiest flowers!

DM or email us for more details!

...Is it "Small Bagel Saturday" or "Small Business Saturday"?

Book using promo code 'BREAD' before Dec 6th and we'll personally bake you fresh bagels or sourdough bread for your hike and we'll take 10% off your booking!

The Larch are still larchin'.

Awesome tamales, chili rellenos, ceviche, everything is great! Very satisfied with the food and delivery too!