Jen WeirExplorer

Thunderdome. That's the only way to describe it. Eight months later and I'm still thinking about it on a regular basis. My half-way grown out black toenail is a constant reminder of the epic-ness of that brutal race day.  The Rut is held the first weekend of September in Big Sky, MT -- a pretty rad place. Over the course of three days, four different events are held; the VK, one kilometer of el...

The Montana Island Challenge is held every year in August at the Half Moon Ranch located about an hour from Lewistown. The ranch has camping spots and a few bunkhouses available if you'd rather head up the day before instead of getting up at the crack of dawn the day of the race.The challenge consists of biking, hiking and running events. The bike challenge is held Friday night and requires the...

The Montana Bunkhouse is a great place to unplug and enjoy time with friends and family. This two bedroom bunkhouse rests in the foothills of the Big Snowy mountains on the Olsen family ranch an hour from the nearest town. The building was built in 1905 as a community hall, later converted to a country school and is now a gathering place you can rent for a weekend getaway. The Bunkhouse is equ...

The trail head to Jones Creeks is just off of Teton River Road (the road that takes you up to Teton Pass Ski Area) and is marked with a sign, however it's only visible when you're coming down from Teton Pass. If you miss the sign, keep in mind it's about two miles past the Cave Mountain Forest Service campground. Aside from a campfire ring, there are no other facilities at the trail head. To b...

You can find the Sulphur Springs trailhead near the Morony Dam and Reservoir. There's a graveled parking lot, an outhouse and an informative story board to quell your curiosity. For your convenience, I'll give you a Reader's Digest version of the history of this specific area. As we all know, Lewis and Clark relied heavily on Sacagawea. Well, the BA lady wound up really sick. After a week of be...

The hike up Willow Creek Gorge is one of my favorites so far. Unfortunately, because of the terrain and elevation gain, I wouldn't recommend taking young kids but if you do, make sure they're attached to you in some way. There are no services at the trail head, so make sure to bring everything you may need with you. The road in can get a little dicey, making 4-wheel drive and good clearance on ...

If you live anywhere near the Pacific Northwest, you've likely heard of huckleberries -- if you haven't, what are you doing with your life? These juicy little gems are worth every once it takes to pluck them from the bush. While there are plenty of places to pick huckleberries in Northwestern Montana, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and even into California, we chose Reservoir Lake near Lincoln, MT. ...

Deer Lake is a hidden cache of awesomeness in the mountains of eastern Washington. The lake expands a sizeable 1,146 acres, giving you plenty of room to explore with your kayak.Aside from the Deer Lake Resort and one public boat launch provided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the lake is surrounded by privately owned homes and cabins. While this can make it more difficult to ...

After driving over Rogers Pass more times than I can count, we finally made it a point to stop and check out the Continental Divide Trail No. 440 -- glad we did. If you've driven the pass, you've seen the trail head about 66 miles west of Great Falls -- the wooden stairs off the right side of the road when you're headed toward Lincoln on highway 200. There's a large pull-out area to park in bu...

While the trail doesn't offer the typical scenery of a Montana hike, the views are spectacular. At the top of the jump, you're at one of the highest points of the basin, allowing you to take in the full magnitude of the surrounding mountains, which include the Big Belt, Little Belt and Highwood Ranges as well as the Rocky Mountain Front. The trail can be accessed from below and above the jump. ...

Located in the Lewis and Clark National Forest on the Rocky Mountain Front, this hike will give the best bang for your buck -- it's about as easy as they come but still boasts outstanding views. The falls are roaring in the spring with snow melt, tranquil in the summer and fall, and permit some decent ice climbing in the winter months.It takes a reasonable amount of time to get to the trailhead...