Jess and I had the opportunity to go up to History Rock, which is located in the Hyalite canyon, just south of Bozeman. We have been looking forward to utilize our snow shoes and we were hoping that the snow levels were good in the canyon. Hyalite canyon, and reservoir, provides the residents of the Gallatin Valley opportunity to experience the MT outdoors. As we headed up the canyon, the weather was overcast and above about 35ËšF. We drove the seven miles up the winding canyon road to the trailhead, just before the reservoir. The parking lot was packed with cars. As we pulled our gear from the back of the car, we noticed that most of the other people were up for some nordic skiing. During the winter the canyon and reservoir become hot spots for cross-country skiing. They groom some of the trails as well as provide new linking trails between the various trailheads. Once we strapped into our gear we made our way up the trail. We encountered mostly skiers, and few snowboarders who hiked to the top just to ride back down. The trail wasn’t very long, so we didn’t take too much time to get to the top. We took a moment at the top to shed some layers, pull out the cameras and take a few pictures. We eventually came back down the trail, snapping a few shots along the way and also taking some time to traverse some untravelled snow. Our off-trail excursion led us up a hillside where we were able to see some magnificent views of the sun poking through the clouds, spilling it’s rays on the mountainous valley walls and on the reservoir just barely visible beyond the trees. After taking our fill of the beautiful vista, we made our way back to the trailhead and the car. A truly wonderful adventure! Enjoy the photos below!
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