Hollowtop Mountain

Hollowtop Mountain (10,604') is the highpoint of the Tobacco Root Mountains and can be seen on the horizon west of Bozeman, MT. It gets its name from the concave nature of its northeast face. There are several routes to the summit, all from different angles, but I recommend starting from the North Willow Creek trailheard near Pony, MT. This is the longest of the routes, and probably in some ways the most challenging, but it's also the most scenic. The hike starts with a steady climb up to Hollowtop Lake which is a great destination of its own and makes for a great base camp if you want to break the trek into two days. This is followed by a nasty section of bushwhacking as you make your way to the saddle between Hollowtop Mountain and Mount Jefferson. Once at the saddle it's a simple and steady climb up to the summit. Side quests include any of the peaks bordering the Hollowtop Lake basin including Mount Jefferson, Horse Mountain, and Potosi Peak.