Black Butte

Black Butte of the Gravelly Range, southwest of Ennis, MT, is arguably the easiest of the mountain range highpoints in Montana to bag. It's basically just a giant chuck of volcanic rock jutting through the earth and is somewhat of an anomaly of the Gravelly's which are mostly just large rolling hills. Don't let the 10,547' elevation fool you. Thanks to the numerous roads that pervade the Gravelly's you're able to park within about a mile of its summit so you only end up have to ascend 1,250'. If you're going to venture all the way into the heart of these mountains to summit Black Butte (it's a 1.5 hr. drive from the highway to the trailhead) I highly recommend a scenic cruise along Gravelly Range Road which heads north-south through the range and offers plenty of additional recreational opportunities.