Rattlesnake Traverse (Rattlesnake Wilderness)-September 26, 2026

Participants: Tony LeBaron, Mason Schweyen, Michelle Brown

The goal for the day was a Missoula classic: The Rattlesnake traverse, A.K.A. the Grant Creek Basin traverse. This hike/scramble links Stuart, Mosquito, Murphy and Point Six along a ridgeline defining the upper boundary of the Grant Creek watershed. The peaks are extraordinary, the shuttle is easy, and the trailheads are practically in town. I highly recommend it. 

We dropped a shuttle car at Snowbowl, then drove to Ravine trailhead. We started hiking a bit after 7, going up Ravine trail to Snowbowl Overlook to Stuart Peak trail and topped out on Stuart a little before 11 AM. Trails were in great shape, with no new blowdown despite high winds the day before. It was surprisingly cold and windy up top, and there was a dusting of fresh snow. The sun teased us, sporadically beaming down warmth but mostly hiding behind clouds. I pulled out my backpacking stove and portable espresso maker, boiled some water, and made espresso shots for everybody. Much better! 

From Stuart, we dropped back down to the ridge and walked about 2 miles North on the main trail, then took a spur trail along Mosquito's south ridge to the summit. Here, Mason shared a French silk pie with Oreo crust that he made from scratch the day before. We sat on Mosquito's summit and ate pie for lunch. We then dropped off the high point and roughly followed the NW ridge down until we re-joined the trail. We walked North toward unnamed peak 7973', more or less following the ridge the whole way, and continuing on to Sanders Peak. This section of the traverse feels the most remote, is delightfully rocky, a little cliffy but not exposed, and overlooks some nice lakes. If I have to pick a favorite part of the traverse, this is it. 

From the top of Sanders, we looked west at the ridge to Murphy Peak and pondered our route. To follow the ridge would mean steep scrambling on rocks lubricated by melting snow. We decided to drop a few hundred feet into a south facing bowl, traverse west, and then regain Murphy's east ridge via a mellow ramp, bypassing the sketchy wet rock. This decision cost us some altitude, and probably some time. Oh well. Extra vert, extra exercise! The bowl itself was easy going, and the pie continued to fuel us late into the afternoon.

Back on the ridge again, it was easy walking and low-grade scrambling to the top of Murphy Peak. Views of the Missions were stunning from here, but we chose not to linger as it was 5 PM and we wanted to get down before dark. We followed the ridge to Point Six and got there about 6 PM. This was my final Rattlesnake summit. Hooray!

Unbeknownst to me, Mason and Michelle carried 3 whole coconuts all day to celebrate on the last peak. A friend will climb a mountain with you, but a true friend will carry your summit coconut! We sipped our coconut water beneath the radar dome, downed some snacks, and made haste down the ski hill. We got to the base area via Second Thought right at sunset for a 12.5 hour day, and recorded 21 miles and 8200' of climbing. We may not have set any speed records, but sometimes it's good to go slow and enjoy a gastronomic journey in the alpine!