Hike: Chestnut Mountain

The hike to Chestnut Mountain is one of the longer hikes that I have done and actually finished. Chestnut Mountain Trailhead is located just east of Bozeman on the way towards Livingston MT. This is a newer trail and one that is less populated than some of the others I have hiked. While hiking it, I only saw three other people the entire hike. This is a trail that is very popular with mountain bikers. It would be quite a physically challenging ride up, but a speedy and gorgeous ride down. The three people that I passed were all mountain bikers. This trail also has a trail off of it that leads to Frog Rock which is a rock with climbing access. I have never been down the trail to Frog Rock, but I did view Frog Rock from the trail up to Chestnut Mountain Peak.

This trail is well maintained. It is not very rocky or rooty. In fact, it is quite clear nearly all the way, but there are some portions where the trail is very narrow and there are some steep drop offs on the side. Upon reaching the summit, there are trails to continue hiking further, but I stopped at the summit to engage in some photography of the 360 views of the surrounding mountain ranges and the valley.

This is a hike that I would hope to do again, but it was not as breath takingly beautiful as some others I have done. I judge hikes based on the "reward" (views, waterfalls, etc) that one receives upon reaching the end of the trailhead/the summit. While Chestnut Mountain has some gorgeous views, the length of this trail is not equal to the reward at the end of it.

Until next time.....

MontanaMarci!

Chestnut Mountain Basics:

Elevation Gain: 2200 Feet
Trail Distance: 9.2 miles (roundtrip)
Estimated hike time: 6 hours (roundtrip)
MontanaMarci's Favoritism Rating: 3^s
Trail Highlights: 360 Views at the Summit
Difficulty: 2/5

At the Summit of Chestnut Mountain

Panorama of the views from the summit

The Valley below

Surrounding mountain ranges