As much as I like to travel, a week at home with a day hike or two on select days sometimes sounds good to me.  At this point, I’ve done many of those closest to Bozeman, so targeted Bell Lake in the Tobacco Root Mountains about 40 miles west of Boulder, a range I haven’t explored too much.  The Tobacco Roots are a relatively small but high range separated by valleys from other ones in the state, but visible to the west from the Bozeman area, especially in winter when the peaks are bright white from snow cover.  My impression of the range of valleys circulating out in all directions from high peaks with numerous high lakes below those summits accessed from different directions. The hike I did previously in the range was to Lost Cabin Lake last year.

With very hot weather predicted for the days ahead, I decided to get the hike in on Saturday. However, it somewhat defeats the purpose of picking a less hot day when you don’t bother to get an early start.  Well, I woke up at 6:30, but dilly-dallying before I left home and a stop to explore the town of Pony before the slow drive up the dirt road to the trailhead meant I didn’t get started until noon. Starting a hike at noon – that’s just pathetic!

The drive up the canyon to the trailhead is about 10 miles from Pony on a good gravel road.  I wasn’t surprised by the number of campers at the campgrounds near the trailhead but was that so few of them apparently hiked to the lake. For a beautiful Saturday, the trail was virtually deserted.  The trip to Bell Lake is actually on 6.5 miles round trip, add a little for walking on the lakeshore and mostly follows an old Jeep trail still open to dirt bikers and ATVs.  Most of it is through the forest, the last mile or so to the lake along a trail with switchbacks that’s more pleasant than the road.  Although a steady climb, the hike seemed rather easy for an ascent of just under 2,000 feet in 3.25 miles. Bell Lake is beautiful, deep blue in color despite no glaciers, and ringed by peaks. I had it virtually to myself, surprising to me for a place relatively close to Bozeman in mid-summer.

Pony is an old mining town located at the entrance to one of the canyons on the east side of the Tobacco Roots. I don’t think it was ever fully a ghost town, but it probably came close. The whole town constitute a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.  It’s definitely a desirable place to live for those who really want to get away from it all.