North Pilgrim Creek

In the Little Belt Mountains south of Great Falls, the hike along Pilgrim Creek is a taste of central Montana’s best. From the North Pilgrim Creek Trailhead, you’ll travel below towering limestone cliffs and ford the creek as you enter a narrow canyon. Climbing out of the canyon, you’ll pass a series of small cascades as the creek bottom slowly becomes wider and the ponderosa forest transitions to aspen, cottonwood, and alder. The fall colors can be spectacular and the meadows at the headwaters of Pilgrim Creek are a great spot to have lunch on a brisk fall day. Photo by Rob Mullin