Pattee Canyon Trails

We drove to the main Pattee Canyon TRailhead in the Lolo National Forest this morning anp put together some of the trails there to make a loop in the Ponderosa Forest. Our route was about 3 miles with 265 ft of overall gain. It was a little chilly as the sun was rising. We saw a black bear cross the trail and head up a hill (no photo) and a great variety of early wildflowers in bloom. Great moring! A few forest photos:

some of the wildflowers we saw in bloom this morning:

Blodgett Canyon

We drove out to Blodgett Canyon in Lolo National Forest to hike at sunrise this morning. We hiked out to the waterfall and back, about 8 miles with 1,400 ft of overall gain. We also saw a cow and calf moose!

The sunset was fiery bright!

The peaks along the canyon walls were stunning (lots of photos!)

At various places along the trail, we were close enough to Blodgett Creek to get reflection photos.

Cascade on Blodgett Creek

Further up the trail/canyon

View upstream from the bridge over Blodgett Creek 

View downstream from the bridge over Blodgett Creek 

View across Blodgett Creek, with a rock arch high up on the canyon wall to the south

zoom of the rock arch

beaver dam on the creek

upstream view near the beaver dam

Such a lovely trail

Talus field along the trail

We hiked past a couple of meadows where we thought we might see moose, but they weren't in the meadows.

Blodgett Creek downstream from the waterfall

Waterfall on Blodgett Creek

Blodgett Creek upstream from the waterfall

The trial continues in Blodgett Canyon for several more miles, but choose to stop here for our lunch break and then return down the trail.

Coming back down the trail in a very tight spot with lots of undergrowth, we saw a mother and baby moose in the woods, just off the trail, We stepped back and off on the other side of the trail, being more than 25 feet away. (all photos are with zoom and cropped).

The mother moose wanted to continue down the trail near where we were waiting off trail.

She stepped onto the trail and stared at us. She ended up charging up and down the trail twice, until her calf followed her up the trail.

After both moose past us by, we hurried down the trail in the opposite direction.

More photos of the canyon walls as we returned down the trail.

Lots of lovely fall color today!

some of the wildflowers, berries, fungi and fall colors along the trail today: