Gallatin Canyon & Spanish Peaks Wilderness

Two days using the Gallatin River canyon as the spine of a south-trending active circuit — the canyon itself is one of the most scenic mountain drives in Montana, a 40-mile river corridor between limestone canyon walls where the Gallatin River drops continuously from its Yellowstone headwaters. The Spanish Peaks Wilderness (part of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness complex) on the west side of the canyon above Big Sky provides the first day's active objective: a strenuous out-and-back to the Spanish Lakes at 8,800 feet through old-growth spruce and fir forest. The second day returns via the Hyalite Canyon drainage for a Hyalite Peak summit or a more moderate canyon waterfall circuit before the 25-minute return to Bozeman.