TO PROTECT THE MOUNTAIN GOATS NO MOTORIZED VEHICLES ALLOWED! Bring
your hiking boots, two strong legs, and a stout heart.
To get here drive the St Joe Highway from St Maries to the Red
Ives turnoff. Proceed S along the river to the Beaver Creek
Campground. Turn right and cross the bridge onto FS Road 303. Drive
8 miles on this road to the top of the saddle (Beaver Creek
Saddle?). Continue straight ahead on FS 201. It is 7.9 miles to the
Trail 55 trailhead. You can't miss it - there is a Forest Service
Bathroom facility at the trailhead right next to the road. From St
Regis Montana follow Camel Hump Rd just N of I 90 for .8 miles and
turn south over I-90 onto Little Joe Road for 29 miles to the St
Joe River; then proceed as above. There are nice campsite
(primitive) and springs at the trailhead.
The trail itself meanders along in a roller coaster fashion
climbing and descending through the woods making for an uphill hike
going and returning. At about the 3.5 mile mark the trail breaks
out into the open and offers spectacular views of Snow Peak. From
here you'll wind around to the North and then West before your
final assault on the mountain. The lookout is still there and
you'll be able to access the observation deck if you so choose. An
interesting fact, the mountain goats were drawn to this site
because of the salt in the urine of the fire watch personnel. Then
they made their own salt lick and more kept coming. They were
actually trapped from the lookout deck before the introduction of
helicopters.
The cache is a cammoflaged ammo can located just below the
summit to avoid accidental detection. Of all the caches I've
found/hidden this one ranks second only to Larkins Peak! Enjoy the
hike, and if you're lucky, seeing and interacting with the mountain
goats!