Trail Shots: Jumbo North Zone opens with balsamroot bounty

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Dana Bandy and balsamroot in Mount Jumbo’s North Zone. Photo credit: Craig Macholz



It’s that time of year many have been waiting for: The North Zone of Mount Jumbo is finally open!

After a prolonged winter wildlife closure, every Mount Jumbo trail from Hellgate Canyon to Woods Gulch reopened in the middle of last week. But judging by all of the photos you’ve shared, you already knew that.

If you haven’t been up to the North Zone yet, now is the time to go – there’s a bounty of golden balsamroot covering the hillsides, as Craig Macholz, Dana Bandy and I found a day after the reopening. We also found a crowd of other runners and mountain bikers, so it’s worth reminding to respect other trail users and yield when needed.

Here are more of your Trail Shots from recent weeks.

On the 11 Miles to Paradise Trail. Photo credit: Jon Aaron Aaseng
Members of the Wild Mountain Runners MT Facebook group have been busy organizing runs around western Montana recently.

First up was a preview of the 11 Miles to Paradise course east of St. Regis last month. A few folks ran out and back and were met by more halfway through – and as at the race, they soaked at Quinn’s Hot Springs afterward.

A return trip weeks later revealed most of the trees over the trail had been cut out, but if you’re running next weekend you might still find a large one near the aid station.

Sunrise run on Mount Sentinel. Photo credit: Ian Carlson
A small group also made an early-morning run up Mount Sentinel last week, taking in both the moonset and sunrise.

The greenery of Larry Creek. Photo credit: Forrest Boughner
The Run Wild Missoula trail running class took to the trails at Larry Creek in the Bitterroot Valley recently. There, they found a lot of greenery.

Have a Montana running photo you’d like to share with Trail Shots? Post it to the Montana Trail Crew Facebook page.