Ward Mountain Trail

the trail is very well maintained..dont let all trail fool you..it is NOT 4 miles to the top..its 4 to the rock over look and 6.5ish to the top, it is pretty powdery in the first few miles, by mile 2 it starts to get a little rocky, and the last 2 miles are comprised of alot of slate, absolutely beautiful views!!

This trailhead was easily accessible being only a few miles in from the highway. I took the switchback route for the first few miles. About half way was a cool grouping of rocks and overlook of roaring lion. There is also a small creek crossing. The last few miles were pretty steep. Views are great and there are the remains of an old lookout up top. I was solo and didn’t see anyone until the start of the second mile coming down. Passed 3 mtn bikers hiking their bikes. They passed me when I was on my last half mile. All in all it’s a challenging workout, pretty views, and total RT around 13 miles.

Completed 8/14. Saw only one group coming down the trail from a shorter hike early in the day. Trail was a steady climb from start to top. Trail was in good condition, sun exposure for more than 2/3s the hike, so start very early this time of year. Views from the top are spectacular. Tough hike, but worth the effort.

Need snow shoes at around mile 3. Go early or it turns to slush. Beautiful views, some of the best in the Bitterroot and a butt kicker. I took the ridge trail up instead of the switchbacks. Gorgeous overlooks along the way from the ridge.

Still plenty of snow

For all you eager beavers looking for some spring hiking might not want to start on this trail. Did the trail on 3/17/2020. We made the mistake of not bringing snowshoes or skinning up and ended up hiking in shin deep snow 3-4 miles up the mountain and essentially just following some ski tracks. We were probably 3 miles off from summiting when we decided to turn around. On the plus side the views from 4 miles up along the rocky ridge were spectacular!! Will definitely be coming back in the summer, beautiful hike!

Distance shown is from cutting all the switchbacks if you zoom in on the map showing the trail. If you stay on the trail, it is closer to about 6 miles to the top! Took me and the pup just under 3 hours to run up and down (for those trail runners out there!) Amazing views of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and Trapper Peak!

Very well maintained, thanks to the dirt bikers. Views are amazing!

It was great but mileage on here is wrong. It is 6.3 to the top so about 12.6 round trip. Took us just under 8 hours to go to the top and back. Awesome view, one of our favorite and looks down on our property. Probably should be rated hard.