Outdoors

Bob Weir Hot Springs: the place to hike to at midnight — naked (Kaimin Pick)

Weir Hot Springs sits just a few miles past the famous Jerry Johnson Hot Springs along Highway 12. It is a well-known local haunt that can be enjoyed any time of year, at any time of the day or night.

Be prepared to encounter an icy, snowy and slightly sketchy trail in the winter.

The hot pool, which can comfortably fit a crowd of 10 people, overlooks the creek below it, with a clearing just big enough to see the Milky Way through the trees.

Remember, clothing is optional and the springs are maintained only by the people who visit them, so pack out what you pack in.

DIRECTIONS: From Missoula, head south on U.S. Highway 93 into the town of Lolo. In Lolo, make a right on Highway 12. Continue until about a mile past the turnout for Mocus Point. The trailhead is located just after a guardrail that takes you over Weir Creek.

Campsites are 200 yards from the highway turnout, right next to the creek. There is also a spot to put a tent below the hot springs.

Big Creek trail to Big Creek Lake

Access to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is not for those afraid of a little elevation gain. The gnarly drainages exiting the Bitterroot Mountains have created spectacular granite cliffs, natural havens to mountain goats, pikas and bear grass. Hill junkies should be sure to check out the nine-mile, 3,000-foot ascent to Bass Creek Lake, while the Big Creek trail is a manageable hike for those new to the Bitterroots. It follows the creek and includes a few stream crossings on stock and smaller footbridges. Along the way to the wilderness boundary, which is roughly 1.3 miles from the Big Creek Trailhead, hikers will pass through a pleasantly shaded cedar grove. Teepee Rock, a boxcar-sized block of granite that marks the halfway point to Big Creek Lake, can be found about five miles in. Two miles shy of the lake, the trail begins to climb steeply in a series of stair steps. The north and west sides of the lake have relatively level areas for pitching a tent. Big Creek Lake sits at 5,865 feet in elevation and is known to support a decent population of cutthroat trout.

DIRECTIONS: Travel south on U.S. Highway 93 approximately 5.5 miles. Just south of the Stevensville turnoff, turn right (west) onto Big Creek Road. (This is also known as Bell Crossing and there is a flashing yellow light.) Follow for 0.5 miles and turn right (north) onto Curlew Orchard/Meridian Road, which will become Big Creek Road and then Big Creek Trail Road. Follow for approximately 3.5 miles to the end of the trailhead.

Cha-paa-qn

Directly west of Missoula is one of the few peaks in Montana with 4,000 feet of vertical prominence. Squaw Peak, or what it is now called, Cha-paa-qn (Cha-Pawk-Qwin), means "gray, treeless mountain-top" in Salish. It reaches just shy of 8,000 feet above sea level over the Ninemile drainage, dividing Missoula and Sanders counties and Missoula Valley from the Flathead Indian Reservation. On a clear day, Flathead Lake, the Mission Mountains, Lolo Peak and the drainages of the Clark Fork and Bitterroot rivers come into view, so the last half-mile boulder scramble is worth the effort. Cha-paa-qn is a popular day hike and backcountry ski area once winter arrives, despite the hour-long drive on gravel Forest Service roads.