Nasukoin Mountain

The highest peak in the Whitefish Mountain Range

When I first heard about the Nasukoin Mountain hike, I was afraid it would be too strenuous for me, perhaps because I was told it was the highest peak in the Whitefish Range.

That really shouldn't have worried me, because I've conquered much higher and more brutal peaks in my life. I took the challenge, along with four other friends, and it turned out to be an amazingly scenic, spiritual and beautiful hike.

The 8,086 foot elevation hike is 12 miles long. The trail takes you up a series of switch backs to the top of Lake Mountain. Along the way, hikers can look down on Link Lake and the Chain of Lakes.

From Lake Mountain, the trail drops back down via narrow, steep switchbacks followed by another climb up Nasukoin Mountain.

We met at 6 in the morning to get a good start before it got really hot. It took us a little over an hour to get to the trailhead. You need a high-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicle to reach the trailhead.

If coming from Whitefish, head up to Upper Whitefish Lake (for directions, check out last week's Day-tripper in the Pilot).

Once you see the sign for Red Meadow Lake, take the left road. If you don't have a high-clearance vehicle, you can park there and walk up the road about a mile and a half to the trailhead.

We started the hike at 8 a.m. The beginning is a steady climb, gaining most of the elevation right from the start.

The views are beautiful from the beginning. The first lake is Link Lake, which is another possibility for a shorter hike.

When you come to the first fork in the trail, to go to Nasukoin Peak, take the left trail, from there on it's pretty clear, although you can lose the trail at some of the rocky spots. There are a number of cairns to help keep you on the trail.

You can see Nasukoin (meaning Chief) Peak from the top of Lake Mountain. It looks and seems far away, but it's not so bad. From the top of Lake Mountain you go down a steep, rocky traverse.

The trail is very remote, with fantastic views of Glacier National Park, Flathead National Forest, and peaks in all directions. Peaks, peaks and more peaks.

We reached the summit of Nasukoin Mountain about noon and sat and enjoyed the views with lunch. There is an old bed frame at the top, a remnant from the lookout post of bygone days.

We made it back to the car around 4 p.m., so plan on a full day.

Although we didn't see much wildlife on the trail that day, we saw something exciting on our drive out. Three of us drove into Polebridge to meet up with friends and on the drive in, we came across a huge moose on the road. It was unbelievable to watch.

The Whitefish Range is under public land management by the Flathead National Forest.

The Flathead-Kootenai Chapter of Montana Wilderness Association educates and organizes citizens on wilderness issues. Some of the best-known wild places in its area are Tuchuck -Mt. Henry, Thompson Seton, Ten Lakes, Jewel Basin, and LeBeau.

The chapter is governed by a board of directors, made up of local volunteers and is currently working on proposing the Winton Weydemeyer Wilderness in the Whitefish Range west of Glacier. Nasokoin Mountain is part of the proposed wilderness.

The namesake of this proposal was the Montana Wilderness Association's first vice president and Montana conservation luminary.

The proposal spans 171,000 acres contiguous with the U.S. - Canadian border, and boasts one of the densest populations of grizzly bears in the Intermountain West. For a free pamphlet or to find out how you can help write: dhadden@wildmontana.org.

They are also working on a Forest Plan revision for the Flathead National Forest. The proposed action for the Flathead National Forest threatens wilderness, roadless lands and quiet trails.