Mount Aeneas: The best short hike

One of the very first glimpses of the Flathead Valley I ever received from higher elevations came while on a hayride to the Jewel Basin.

I'll never forget the feeling of looking down into the Valley and gaining a new perspective of the place I had chosen to call my home or that first realization of the vast expanse of the largest natural fresh water lake this side of the Mississippi.

At that time, the view from the road was the best I could get, since we quickly turned the trailer around and headed back down. I have since tried unsuccessfully to conquer the snow-laden path to Mount Aeneas, never attaining the panoramic views I was assured that I would find there.

Thus, to return to the Mount Aeneas trailhead earlier this week and find the trail completely snow-free was a joy. Assuming that it was late enough in the summer to reach the summit of Aeneas without encountering several feet of snow, I invited my wife to join me on the trek, and she graciously accepted.

Having now completed our trek, I can honestly say that the view others told me I would find was greatly understated, and the minimal effort it took to reach the summit was a mere pittance to pay for such a pleasant hike.

In fact, if you have only three or four hours to invest in a hike, you could do little better than a trip to the summit of Mount Aeneas, anywhere in the Flathead Valley, without having to compete with the summer traffic — vehicular or otherwise — that you are certain to find in Glacier Park.

That fact makes Mount Aeneas one of the most popular hikes in the Jewel and gives those who have ever undertaken the gentle climb plenty of incentive to return and do it over and over again.

At almost exactly three miles one way, my wife and I were able to attain the summit in about an hour and a half, including several short stops to take pictures of Flathead Lake and two or three families of mountain goats who inhabited the ridge, along the last half mile of the trip.

The six-mile roundtrip hike gains a little more than 1,800-feet in elevation between the parking lot and the peak of Mount Aeneas. Any trail that gains 600 feet of elevation per mile or less should be considered fairly easy to hike, and area standards rank this hike as either a challenging Class One or easy Class Two.

I have read comments from those who live out-of-area, who consider Aeneas to be a moderate to strenuous hike, but such assessments must come from those who are used to hiking trails at or near sea level, with little or no elevation gain. A trail like this should be considered appropriate for even children, ages four and up. I have a three-year old daughter whom I doubt would have struggled much on this trail.

I was surprised to discover how many families use the trail. We passed several families with young children, who were coming down as we were going up. Many of the children were ages four to seven and carried their own fishing equipment, no doubt having come from one of the multitude of high-altitude lakes nearby that remain full of Westslope Cutthroat Trout.

Anglers who fish these lakes say the fishing is generally pretty good, and the lakes see a lot of use for that very reason, but those whom we met on their way back down told us that fishing tends to be less productive here on days when temperatures climb into the high 80's and 90's.

My wife and I were pleased to see how much use the trail sees and how well-maintained it is. For much of the hike, the trail appears more like a dirt and gravel road, with a width that allows several people to walk side by side.

You'll want to begin at the Camp Misery Trailhead, which begins in the Camp Misery Parking lot (elevation 5,717 feet). The site apparently got its name as the place where one of the local tribes spent a difficult winter—and, judging from the amount of snow I found here in late June, I can easily imagine what such a winter might be like.

After a few switchbacks and just under a mile of climbing, hikers attain the first ridgeline and have the option to take a trail that branches off to the right. This trail will take you to another scenic peak with an elevation of about 6437 feet.

However, to reach Mount Aeneas, you'll want to remain on Trail 717 for another half mile, until you get to a fork in the trail. The views from the ridge offer some great photo opportunities to capture images of Flathead Lake and the northern portion of Flathead Valley.

Once you reach the forks, you'll be faced with a few different options. You can proceed to Birch Lake (about 1.5 miles beyond this point), Squaw Lake (1.5 miles beyond Birch Lake) and Crater Lake (about one mile past Squaw Lake), by following Trail 724. However, if you look up, you'll see a wooden sign a short ways up on the middle trail, that makes the continuing route for Trail 717 to Mount Aeneas.

The other two trails that you see offer more challenging routes around Mount Aeneas or to the summit. For the most enjoyable route, stay on Trail 717, as marked by the wooden sign on the trail.

A half mile beyond the forks, following Trail 717 up the ridge of Aeneas to the summit, you'll come to an overlook with a microwave tower. There are usually a number of mountain goats here.

From here, the most scenic part of your journey lies along the upper ridgeline, where the trail leads on toward the peak of Mount Aeneas. From the ridgeline, you can see Birch Lake, Squaw Lake and Crater Lake to your right, as well as Picnic Lakes, Black Lake and Twin Lakes to your right.

At 7,537 feet, the peak affords panoramic views into Hungry Horse Reservoir and, on a clear day, the peaks of Glacier Park and the Swan and Mission Mountains. From here, the trail continues down from the peak and then wraps around for 1.5 miles to reach Picnic Lakes.

The primary access to Jewel Basin is Forest Service Road No. 5392, better known as Jewel Basin Road, which can be reached from Bigfork by following U.S. Highway 83 to Echo Lake Road and turning north. Jewel Basin Road (FS 5392) lies another five miles up Echo Lake Road and follows a winding route up the mountain to Camp Misery, where your journey begins.

Bring some bug spray, as you'll need it near the top. Other than that, enjoy what is arguably the best short hike in the area and one of the finest panoramic views attainable with the least amount of effort.