Pack Trip

This is superb mid-summer trip into our beautiful Gates Park camp on the North Fork of the Sun River.  We generally stay here 4 nights and explore the many points of interest on day rides from camp.  The area around Gates Park is full of late 19th century western history, as well as earlier native Indian history.  Additionally, there are spectacular vista points from areas like Biggs Creek meadows and Bear Top Fire Lookout.  The fly fishing this time of year is exceptional as the weather is hot and stable, and the terrestrial bugs are out in force during the day.

This trip allows 3 solid days of fly fishing  on the North Fork.  We can access the upper reaches near Ray Creek, the area around camp, or go further downstream to Biggs Creek and Moose Creek.  Anywhere you go you will have amazing fishing action, we just like to give you a different view of the river and different stretches to try.

For the non-fisherman, we have a lot of different day ride options available to you including rides to Biggs Creek meadows, Bear Top Fire lookout, Sock Lake on the Chinese Wall, and many other options.  The ride to Sock Lake is a lot of fun, and there is a aggressive climb up to the lake, but the views are astounding and the fishing isn't too bad either.

While the days are long, you will find our night-time skys are spectacular with deep space views of the galaxy and beyond.  The stargazing, as with our daytime scenery, is simply unparalleled by any in the lower 48 states.  Many of our guests find themselves staying up to early morning watching the evening sky and the amazing amount of activity that goes on out there at night!

This trip may be extended to 7 days if you prefer to enjoy our hospitality for a couple more days.

Day 1:  Pack up at the South Fork Teton trailhead.  The ride over Headquarters Pass (elevation 7,700 ft) is truly a highlight of the trip - and it's only the first 2 hours in!!  The trail from the basin below the pass begins a gradual descent along Headquarters Creek to the North Fork Sun River valley.  Along the way we have wide open vistas.  We often see wildlife along this ride as is a natural corridor for traveling elk, black bear, deer, and other critters.  Camp this evening is our semi-permanent camp ont he Sun River at Gates Park.  Riding distance 14 miles.

Day 2: No travel this day but plenty to do.  If you're up for a day ride, we often go to Biggs Creek Meadows to explore and see some incredible views of the continental divide to the west and the Sun River valley in all other directions.  Riding distance is 5 miles.  For the fishermen, you'll want to get on the water right after breakfast and start dueling with the river trout.  They get hungry around 10am and be ready for some amazing dry fly action and a LOT of fish.  Our fishermen come back telling us they catch upwards of 60 fish a day.

Day 3: No travel this day.  For day riders, we often go to Bear Top fire lookout which is the only remaining fire look out in the valley.  The view up there are incredible.  It's a good trail and we ride most of the way and hike the last 45 minutes.  We eat lunch and chat with the fire watch person, and just soak in amazing 360 views.  Total riding distance 10 miles.  The fishermen will get going again in the morning.  Often we can mix it up by taking fishermen downstream or upstream by horseback on an hour ride to get some different views of the river. It's pretty remarkable fishing no matter where you go on this river.

Day 4: No travel this day.  Our last day to explore and fish.  For the fishermen, we give them some aspirin for their aching elbows (from all the fish pulling on the rods all day) and get them to the river for the final day of fishing.  We may ride up to Ray Creek to hit the upper reaches of the Sun.  The riders often go along on that day ride as it's a beautiful ride up the river along the high bluffs of the Sun.  Its often our capstone day of the trip.

Day 5: We pack up early and head out the Headquarters trail.  We get an early start to beat the heat and the dust, and are eating lunch in the basin below Headquarters Pass.  We often see mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the basins on either side of the pass.  Our day ends at the South Fork Teton trailhead.  We typically arrive in there in early afternoon.  Riding distance 14 miles.

Traveling to the Chinese Wall is a keystone trip, covering over 70 miles of fantastic scenery and adventure.  The Chinese Wall is a massive limestone cliff forming the Continental Divide for over 30 miles.  The Wall has several sections, notable the area north of Red Shale Creek to the Open Fork, and the area south of Rock Creek to White River pass.  The route of this trip takes us along the southern part from White River Pass area to Larch Hill Pass.  The upper basins below the wall are spectacular with immense vistas, springs, wildflowers, and the occasional mountain goat or elk.  If the pass is not too snowed in, we'll drop over Larch Hill pass and down into the head of White River.  White River starts in a large glacial basin and drains the west side of the Wall.  We begin and end this trip at different trailheads, and this is probably our most popular trip for unmatched scenery and riding opportunities.

Day 1:  We begin by packing up at the Benchmark trailhead west of Augusta.  This is our furthest south departure point.  The ride from Benchmark to our campsite at Pretty Prairie, on the South Fork of the Sun River, is a gentle ride through scattered timber before entering the South Fork valley where it opens up into wide vistas the beautiful country around Pretty Prairie.  We camp at Pretty Prairie one night before heading out the next day.  Riding distance 7 miles.

Day 2:  Non travel day.  We take our time to explore Pretty Prairie, which is aptly named.  There is great fishing in the South Fork Sun River near camp.  Also, the valley is broad and open and beacons us for some nice hikes to ridges above camp.  Or, for the most adventurous we can take a day ride down to Sun Butte above the confluence of the North and South Forks of the Sun.  Whichever you choose there are awesome photo opportunities in all directions.

Day 3: We pack up and head up the West Fork of the Sun River.  This is a broad glacial valley with open country and high glacial cirques visible from the valley floor.  This is a popular trail in the Bob Marshall so you will see other hikers and riders this day.  We continue up the West Fork past Indian Point cabin and camp near on the West Fork this evening.  This is a small camp nestled below Red Butte.  There is a small range of red mountains right above us and make for a stunning sunrise the next morning if we have clear skies.  Riding distance 10 miles.

Day 4: We pack up today for our most scenic day as we ride to the head of the West Fork of the Sun and drop into the basins at the head of Moose Creek and Rock Creek under the Chinese Wall.  We ride most of the day along beneath the Chinese Wall in the broad glacial basins.  Wild flowers, small glaciers, augment our spectacular ride.  We do ocassionally see elk in these basins and mountain goats on the cliffs above us.  At the first break in the cliffs we come to Larch Hill Pass, where we will cross the divide and drop into White River for the evening.  Riding distance 15 miles

Day 5: Non travel day.  The upper basin of White River is broad and full of small streams.  Our camp here is nestled between the imposing Chinese Wall to the east and Silvertip Mountain to the west.  A prettier camp would be hard to find.  We explore this area by hiking or short day rides in the basin.

Day 6: We pack up and begin the climb out of White River up over Larch Hill Pass.  At the top we turn east and head down towards My Lake, a small hidden gem nestled under the divide.  We continue on down to the valley floor of Rock Creek and past Rock Creek cabin.  This used to be the staging area for a nearby fire lookout on Moose Ridge on the imposing cliff strewn ridge above us to the south.  The trail continues along a broad valley floor before we slowly turn north towards Gates Park where we arrive in camp that afternoon.  This is a semi-permanent summer camp we set up and it's a welcome sight after an exhilerating day coming out of White River.  Riding distance 18 miles.

Day 7: Non travel day.  There are plenty of options to explore by foot or horseback at Gates Park.  This is a large meadow near the North Fork Sun River with miles of hiking and riding trails.  We often take a day ride out to Biggs Creek Meadows for impressive views of the Chinese Wall in the distance and some perspective on our trip route so far.  Your camera will get a real workout on this trip I assure you!

Day 8: Pack up from Gates Park camp and head on up Headquarters Creek.  This is a gradual climb through scattered timber as we ascend to the basin below Headquarters Pass.  After lunch, we make the final approach to the pass with stunning views of the Sun River valley to the west and the Rocky Mountain Front to the east.  Our descent down from the pass goes quickly and we reach the end of our trip at the South Fork Teton trailhead.  Riding distance 14 miles.

A downloadable topographical map of the trip route is available here:  ChinaWall-Trip-Route (pdf) 

This trip visits the spectacular but lighly visited north part of the Chinese Wall.  We start at the headwaters of the Middle Fork Teton River west of Choteau and make a big loop up to the north Wall then back to the South Fork Teton River. This trips is a fantastic combination of great fly fishing and unmatched scenery. We start near the headwaters of the Sun River and work our way up to the Chinese Wall at the head of Lick Creek, where we camp beneath the wall.  Experiencing sunrise and sunsets at the Wall is a truly remarkable event.  The adventurous can hike up on the wall via goat trails.  Others can explore the alpine meadows laden with wildflowers.  Towards the end of the trip we come back to the North Fork Sun valley and camp at the iconic Gates Park camp, one of the most unique and picturesque places in the Bob Marshall.  The riding days are modest in difficulty and generally shorter duration.

Day 1:  Pack up at the Middle Fork Teton trailhead.  The ride over Route Creek Pass (elevation 6,800 ft) is a great start of the day and only the first 2 hours.  The trail from the basin below the pass begins a gradual descent along Route Creek to the North Fork Sun River valley.  Along the way we have wide open vistas.  We often see wildlife along this ride as is a natural corridor for traveling elk, black bear, deer, and other critters.  Camp this evening is at Lick Creek just up from the Sun River..  Riding distance 14 miles.

Day 2: Non travel day.  The fishermen will want to get to the North Fork and be prepared for world class dry fly fishing.  On a good day you can catch 60+ fish on dry flies and some holes you'll get a fish on every cast.  It's unmatched almost anywhere in the world.  Riders will have option of explore the scenic upper reaches of the Sun River.

Day 3:  We pack up this day for an easy ride up Lick Creek to the Chinese Wall.  A spectacular ride with about half the day along the Wall.  A gradual grade but all uphill, we go through older burns and old growth forest before arriving at the alpine basins along the Wall.  Along the way we'll cross several low drainage divides for Lick Creek and Red Shale Creek with exceptional views at each point.  The camp area is in a small nook below Sock Lake and directly below the Wall - an unparalleled site for sure.  We'll spend 2 nights at this camp.  Riding distance is 10 miles.

Day 4:  Non travel day.  Many will chose to climb up the goat trail to Sock Lake.  The lake is a glacial cirque mid-way up the Wall.  A truly unique and highly picturesque spot.  The view of the Sun Valley in the distance is superb, and the hiking is exceptional.  For those wanting to explore the remote basins along the Wall there are lots of great hiking options. 

Day 5: We pack up and head down Red Shale Creek to the Gates Park camp.   We gradually drop from the Wall down Red Shale Creek to the broad valley of the Sun River and Gates Park, which is the last of the massive meadows along the Sun River.  This area is largely old burn and offers a lot of open viewing.  We often see game along this trail.  Riding distance 9 miles.

Day 6: Non travel day.   Great fishing abounds for the fishermen on the river next to camp.  Riding options are exceptional including day rides to Rock Creek or Biggs Creek flats, with open meadows and vast scenery on the hills.  

Day 7: We pack up for an outstanding ride up Headquarters Creek to Headquarters Pass.  This is mostly open riding with great views.  Crossing the pass (elevation 7,800 ft) is a certain capstone to a great trips.  We often see goats in the basins below Headquarters Pass.  From there we drop down to our private trailhead on the South Fork Teton River.  Riding distance 14 miles.

One of more popular mid-summer trips.  This trip goes into our Gates Park camp on the North Fork Sun River.  We stay 4 nights at this location, with a wide range of activities available each day.  This is a kick off to world class fly fishing on the Sun River.  The water is gin-clear as all the melt off has left by this time.  We start fishing really before anyone else is in this area, not that we ever really see anyone at all anyway.  The early summer colors of wildflowers, mountain peak snowpack, and lush green make for stunning photography.  For the non fishermen, we have quite a few day rides and hikes near by including Bear Top fire lookout, Sock Lake (under the Chinese Wall), Biggs Creek Meadows, and the lower Sun River valley.

Day 1:  Pack up at the South Fork Teton trailhead.  The ride over Headquarters Pass (elevation 7,700 ft) is truly a highlight of the trip - and it's only the first 2 hours in!!  The trail from the basin below the pass begins a gradual descent along Headquarters Creek to the North Fork Sun River valley.  Along the way we have wide open vistas.  We often see wildlife along this ride as is a natural corridor for traveling elk, black bear, deer, and other critters.  Camp this evening is our semi-permanent camp ont he Sun River at Gates Park.  Riding distance 14 miles.

Day 2: No travel this day but plenty to do.  If you're up for a day ride, we often go to Biggs Creek Meadows to explore and see some incredible views of the continental divide to the west and the Sun River valley in all other directions.  Riding distance is 5 miles.  For the fishermen, you'll want to get on the water right after breakfast and start dueling with the river trout.  They get hungry around 10am and be ready for some amazing dry fly action and a LOT of fish.  Our fishermen come back telling us they catch upwards of 60 fish a day.

Day 3: Non travel day.  For day riders, we often go to Bear Top fire lookout which is the only remaining fire look out in the valley.  The view up there are incredible.  It's a good trail and we ride most of the way and hike the last 45 minutes.  We eat lunch and chat with the fire watch person, and just soak in amazing 360 views.  Total riding distance 10 miles.  The fishermen will get going again in the morning.  Often we can mix it up by taking fishermen downstream or upstream by horseback on an hour ride to get some different views of the river. It's pretty remarkable fishing no matter where you go on this river.

Day 4: Non travel day.  Our last day to explore and fish.  The ambitious horseback riders may want to go to Sock Lake today.  It's about a 14 mile round trip ride, but it's so worth it.  Sock Lake sits up in a little bowl under the Chinese Wall and is a stunning place to visit.  For the fishermen, we give them some aspirin for their aching elbows (from all the fish pulling on the rods all day) and get them to the river for the final day of fishing.  We try to hit a stretch of water they haven't seen yet just to mix things up.

Day 5: We pack up early and head out the Headquarters trail.  We get an early start to beat the heat and the dust, and are eating lunch in the basin below Headquarters Pass.  We often see mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the basins on either side of the pass.  Our day ends at the South Fork Teton trailhead.  We typically arrive in there in early afternoon.  Riding distance 14 miles.

This is a late summer trip is the perfect way to end summer!  Weather is often mild, temps are moderating, and the bugs are mostly done.  We start the trip at the South Fork Teton River trailhead and traverse over Headquarters Pass as we work our way down to Headquarters Creek to Gates Park on the North Fork Sun River.  Here we spend the rest of the trip exploring the many points of interest on day rides and hikes from camp.  The area around Gates Park is full of late 19th century western history, as well as earlier native Indian history.  Additionally, there are spectacular vista points from areas like Biggs Creek meadows and Bear Top Fire Lookout.  The fishing is excellent this time of year with lots of terrestrials (grasshoppers, ants, etc) and the fish are quite aggressive with stimulators.  The days are hot and the nights cool - perfect for camping and relaxing.

We frequently see elk and deer along the river, as well as large numbers of raptors this time of year, ranging from golden eagles, owls, ospreys, hawks, falcons, and dozens of other birds of prey. 

While the daylight hours are reducing now in late summer, the nighttime is amazing.  You will find our night-time skys are spectacular with deep space views of the galaxy and beyond.  The stargazing, as with our daytime scenery, is simply unparalleled by any in the lower 48 states.  Many of our guests find themselves staying up to early morning watching the evening sky.  Evening comes late this time of year as our sun sets around 10:00pm in the evening.  It can be a challenge staying up late enough for the stars to come out after an exhilirating day, but it's absolutely worth it. There are rarely any forest fires this early in the West, so we can expect crystal clear nights for star viewing.  The is no night polution and now early summer haze as the humidity is always quite low.  The nights are cool so be prepared for that when you step away from the campfire.

Day 1: Pack up early at the South Fork Teton trailhead and prepare for the ride over Headquarters Pass (elev 8,000ft).  There is a quite a climb up the South Fork  to the basin, traversing many switchbacks in the trail as we climb around 2,500 ft.  After crossing the pass we drop into a glacial basin for lunch.  Proceeding on is a gradual ride down Headquarters Creek into the Sun River valley.  We cross the river on one of a handful of packbridges in the Bob Marshall, and then a short distance to camp. This is a beautiful day with a mix of high alpine meadow in the Headquarters basin, 40 yr old burn with wide open vists, open meadows, and some old growth timber. Riding distance 14 miles.

Day 2: Non travel this day.  For day riders, we often go to Biggs Creek flats where we have amazing vistas of the North Fork valley, the Chinese Wall, and a whole panorama of views from a high ridge on the flats.  Total riding distance 10 miles.  Hikers have many miles of trails going right past camp and the hike over to Gates Lake is popular.  There is excellent fishing as well on the Sun River.

Day 3: Non travel this day.  For day riders, we often go to Bear Top fire lookout which is the only remaining fire look out in the valley.  The view up there are incredible.  It's a good trail and we ride most of the way and hike the last 45 minutes.  We eat lunch and chat with the fire watch person, and just soak in amazing 360 views.  Total riding distance 10 miles.  Hikers have many miles of trails going right past camp and the hike over to Gates Lake is popular.  This trail continues on towards Rock Creek and offers some superb vantage points above the Sun River and the Rock Creek valley looking west to the south Chinese Wall. For fishermen we will often take you to a different stretch of river to give you a new "look" at the water.

Day 4: Non travel this day.  We often take a day to ride down river to Rock Creek and explore some immense open country.  This is an easy ride with lots of great photo ops. Usually 6-8 miles.  We often take the fishermen upriver to Ray Creek to get some colder water and tributary action.  Very remote and rugged waters up there.

Day 5: Non travel this day but plenty to do.  If you're up for a day ride, we often go to Biggs Creek Meadows to explore and see some incredible views of the continental divide to the west and the Sun River valley in all other directions.  Riding distance is 5 miles. There are some great hikes too for the adventuresome.  The ridges are mostly open in this area, so they are easy to navigate and reward you with some great vistas.  There is excellent fishing as well on the Sun River.

Day 6:  We pack up early and head out the Headquarters trail.  We get an early start to beat the heat and the dust, and are eating lunch in the basin below Headquarters Pass (elevation 8,000 ft).  This is a spectacular pass with amazing vista.  We often see mountain goats and bighorn sheep in the basins on either side of the pass.  Our day ends at the South Fork Teton trailhead.  We typically arrive in there in early afternoon.  Riding distance 14 miles.

This is a beautiful week in the back country.  We don't see many people this time of year, but we do see lots of wildlife and lots of wild flowers.  Due to the nature of higher mountain valleys, spring comes a later than most anywhere else.  We usually cross hardened snow drifts on the mountain passes, and often snow will linger in the shady areas quite a ways down the valleys.  In the lower Sun River Valley, where this trip primarily travels, the snow is melted off, and the grass and trees are bursting with spring foliage.  By far this is the most colorful trip of the year as all the mountain wildflowers are out in splendor.  Additionally, the wildlife is more common at the end of June as they are moving from winter range to summer range, chasing the green grass as they go higher in elevation.  The rivers and streams will be full with winter run off.  There isn't much for fishing this time of year due to he murky nature of the streams. 

Day 1:  Pack up early at Middle Fork Teton trailhead.  We proceed up the Middle Fork Teton trail to it's source, where we cross Route Creek Pass (elev 7,200) and drop gradually down into Route Creek.  Route Creek Pass is one of the earliest passes into the mountains to open up, and we ocassionally will see a little snow in shaded areas and possibly cross some hardened drifts.  The upper Middle Fork and Route Creek valleys are open with amazing views and tons of photo opportunities.  You also have a great chance to see wildlife on this trail.  We eat lunch at the confluence of Nesbit and Route Creek.  From here we proceed down Route Creek to the Sun River trail, and then down the Sun River to Gates Park camp.  The lower Route Creek trail is timbered and shaded, but once we get near the Sun River we ride along spectacular bluffs above the river and can see miles in either direction as we make our way to Gates Park.  Riding distance 18 miles. 

Day 2: Non travel day.  We explore the area by foot to Gates Park meadows, or take a day ride to Biggs Creek Meadows.  Both offer some great vistas of the gorgeous Sun River valley and surrounding mountains. The mountains will be covered in snow which contracts starkly with the bright green lush valleys.  Riding distance can be 6 miles.

Day 3: Non travel day.  We take another day to check out the area with a nice ride down to Rock Creek or potentially up to Bear Top fire lookout.  Both offer some outstanding views and excellent chances to wildlife along the trail.  Riding distance 10 miles.

Day 4: Pack up early and ride down river to Glenn Creek.  The ride along the west side of the Sun River goes in and out of hidden mountain meadows and then back into the timber.  The lower Sun River valley opens up dramatically and we camp along the North Fork.  This is a gradual ride with very little elevation change as we meander down the river.  Riding distance 10 miles.

Day 5:  Non travel day. We explroe the area by foot on the open ridges above Glenn Creek.  Or we can take a day ride across the river to Elk Hill with wide open views of the 20+ mile long Sun River valley.  There isn't a bad photo to be had on this day.  If the river is cleared up the fishing on the lower river starts to heat up.

Day 6: Pack up and head up Biggs Creek  to the pass between it and the South Fork Deep Creek.  We ride early through the vast meadows of Biggs Creek before entering more timbered high country of Deep Creek.  This is a lightly used trail this time of year. We rarely see anyone else but we do see wildlife and the wildflowers along this trail are amazing.  The South Fork is a high mountain valley and our campsite is nestled below Rocky Mountain, the highest peak in many miles.  This is a unique and beautiful campsite.  Riding distance 16 miles.

Day 7:  Pack up early and ride out Green Gulch to the South Fork trailhead.  This trail is open for the first half of the day as we cross into the North Fork of Deep Creek and Slim Gulch.  The valleys are narrow and dramatic with cliffs rising above us and grassy slopes all around. The ride down Green Gulch is timbered, which is a nice advantage on a hot day. We come out at the South Fork Teton road.  Riding distance 10 miles.