Classic Gallatin Canyon climb to the 1930 fire lookout on Garnet Mountain (8,245 ft) — 360° views of the Spanish Peaks, Gallatin Range, and Hyalite Ridge.
Route options
- Out-and-back on the singletrack: ~4.5 mi up, ~2,800 ft gain. One of the better descents in the county — mostly smooth with isolated tech spots, but lots of exposed sidehilling that demands focus.
- Bigger loop: climb the Rat Lake doubletrack/road from further up Storm Castle Rd, descend the singletrack back to the trailhead. Mellower climbing, same descent payoff.
- Top half mile is steep, rocky, loose doubletrack.
Logistics
- Trailhead ~2 mi up Storm Castle Rd off Hwy 191 (shared lot with Storm Castle Peak trail); singletrack starts across the road. ~35–40 min from Bozeman.
- Best June–October; holds snow through spring.
- Grizzly country — carry bear spray.
- Lookout tower is rentable year-round via Recreation.gov if we ever want to combine with an overnight.