An opportunity for a one-day, three summits activation. A good US Forest Service road system gets one close enough to activate three summits easily in one day, rare in Western Montana. Babcock Mountain is forested summit. The other two summits, Golden Mountain (W7M/GA-141) and Burnt Mountain (W7M/GA-145) are open summits and accessible via short hikes from the same US Forest Service road system. Trees are available for attaching wire antennas or antenna poles. The summit has limited views due to its being nearly flat and completely forested.
Elevation gain: 200’
Off trail miles: Less than 0.5 round trip
Water: There is no nearby water source.
Bear Pepper Spray: Highly recommended in all Montana summits.
Maps: US Forest Service, Lolo National Forest, Missoula Ranger District
Directions: On I-90 take exit 130, Beavertail Hill. Travel south on FS #354 for approximately 8 miles. Turn west (right) onto FS#4300. Travel 1.8 miles to Welch-Gillispie Saddle. Here turn south (left) onto FS#2114 for approximately 6 miles. You are now on the west side of the mountain. There are a few pullouts for parking. There are no trails to the summit. It is however an easy hike up through semi-open forest to the summit.
