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No-Go
No-Go — Road closure: Going-to-the-Sun Road — no access
Montana · spring season
🌤️ Weather
🚗 Roads
⚠️ Avy
🥾 Trail
📅 Spring Conditions: Transition season. Lower crags climbable May onward. Higher routes hold snow through June. Snowmelt wets rock — wait 48h after rain/snow before rock climbing.
Kootenai Creek Canyon
Stevensville, MT · 4,200ft · Granite
🟡 Questionable ⚠️ Avy: Low
Recent precipitation — seepage possible on overhangs
☁️ 53°F 💨 10 mph (20 gusts) 🌧️ 49% precip
Classic routes: Kootenai Falls Wall 5.9, Corner Crack 5.10a, Finger Traverse 5.10d
Year-round access. Spring snowmelt can wet rock Apr–May. Ideal May–Oct.
WCMAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
📋 USFS Bitterroot NF Disclaimer ↗
Blodgett Canyon
Hamilton, MT · 4,800ft · Granite
🟡 Questionable ⚠️ Avy: Low
Recent precipitation — seepage possible on overhangs
☁️ 50°F 💨 11 mph (21 gusts) 🌧️ 42% precip
Classic routes: Blodgett Crack 5.9, Tower Route 5.10c, Chimney Route 5.8
South-facing slabs catch sun — climbable on warm winter days. Peak season Jun–Oct.
WCMAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
📋 USFS Bitterroot NF Disclaimer ↗
Gallatin Canyon Crags
Gallatin Gateway, MT · 5,200ft · Limestone / Quartzite
🔴 Wet Rock ⚠️ Avy: Low
Active rain — rock wet, do not climb
🌧️ 55°F 💨 6 mph (9 gusts) 🌧️ 89% precip
Classic routes: Gallatin Wall 5.10a, River Wall 5.9, Storm Castle routes 5.8–5.11
US-191 open year-round. South-facing limestone climbable Mar–Nov. Alpine routes require summer conditions.
GNFAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
📋 USFS Gallatin NF Disclaimer ↗
Bitterroot Range Crags
Darby, MT · 6,800ft · Granite
🟡 Questionable ⚠️ Avy: Low
Recent precipitation — seepage possible on overhangs
🌫️ 40°F 💨 8 mph (15 gusts) 🌧️ 39% precip
Classic routes: Trapper Peak approach 5.7 scramble, Cache Creek crags 5.8–5.10, Blodgett Tower 5.9
Access roads usually open Jul–Oct. Shoulder season (May–Jun) requires snowshoe approach.
WCMAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
📋 USFS Bitterroot NF Disclaimer ↗
Beartooth Plateau — Alpine Rock
Beartooth Pass, MT/WY · 10,200ft · Granite / Metamorphic
🔴 Wet Rock ⚠️ Avy: Low
0.43" precip in 24h — seepage likely
🌤️ 43°F 💨 9 mph (12 gusts) 🌧️ 39% precip 🌨️ 1.2" new snow
Classic routes: Whitetail Peak SE Ridge 5.6, Granite Peak approach 5.7, Lonesome Mountain routes
Very short window: Jul–early Sep. Expect snow above 10,000ft even in summer. Afternoon lightning common.
GNFAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
📋 USFS Custer-Gallatin NF / NPS Disclaimer ↗
How Ice Formation Score Works: Ice quality depends on sustained sub-freezing temps. The meter tracks days below 32°F (formation) and sub-20°F (thick pillar building) against recent warm spells. Prime = 2+ weeks hard freeze with no thaw. Out = temps too warm for ice to hold.
Hyalite Canyon
Bozeman, MT · 6,800ft · WI2–WI6+
🔒 Off Season ⚠️ Avy: Low
🌧️ 47°F 💨 7 mph (11 gusts) 🌧️ 98% precip
Classic lines: Mummy II WI4, Chouinard Falls WI4+, Puss in Boots WI4, Canary WI5, Unnamed WI6+, Steep Rhyme WI4
Access: 0.5–4 miles from Hyalite Reservoir trailhead
🛣️ Road: FR-62 plowed to Hyalite Reservoir winter weekends + holidays. Verify plowing schedule at gallatinvalleylandtrust.org before visiting. Unplowed sections: park and ski/skin in.
GNFAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
💡 Best ice forms after 2+ weeks of sustained sub-20°F temps. Warm spells (>35°F) degrade pillars rapidly.
📋 USFS Gallatin NF / Gallatin Valley Land Trust Disclaimer ↗
Beartooth Pass — Ice Routes
Red Lodge, MT · 9,200ft · WI3–WI5+
🔒 Off Season ⚠️ Avy: Low
☁️ 46°F 💨 6 mph (6 gusts) 🌧️ 48% precip
Classic lines: Rock Creek Canyon flows WI3–WI4, East Rosebud drips WI3, Absaroka alpine ice
Access: 1–3 mile approaches from US-212
🛣️ Road: US-212 closed Oct–May above Cooke City. Winter access limited to Red Lodge side up to Rock Creek. Check MTDOT 511 before driving.
GNFAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
💡 Higher elevation = more sustained cold. Routes often form earlier (Nov) than valley ice. Wind chill extreme at Beartooth Pass.
📋 USFS Custer-Gallatin NF Disclaimer ↗
Glacier NP — Many Glacier Ice
Many Glacier, MT · 4,900ft · WI2–WI5
🔒 Off Season ⚠️ Avy: Low
☁️ 60°F 💨 8 mph (14 gusts) 🌧️ 50% precip
Classic lines: Iceberg Lake falls WI3, Grinnell area flows WI2–WI4, Swiftcurrent Valley ice
Access: 0.5–3 miles via maintained winter trails
🛣️ Road: Many Glacier Road typically unplowed after November. Ski-in required (~5 miles from plowed trailhead). Check NPS Glacier for winter closure updates.
FAC AVALANCHE
Start and end your day early, and most slopes will be safe to travel on. If you travel in steep, exposed terrain, avoid small pockets of wind-drifted snow or slopes with wet, heavy snow deeper than your ankles. Avoid travel under cornices, especially as the day warms.
💡 Continental climate produces reliable cold. Many Glacier receives heavy snowpack — approach terrain avalanche-prone.
📋 NPS — Glacier National Park Disclaimer ↗
⚠️ Safety disclaimer: Conditions change rapidly in Montana. This system provides weather-based estimates only — not a substitute for current local knowledge, guide services, or in-person assessment. Always check GNFAC, WCMAC, and FAC before entering avalanche terrain. Ice climbing and alpine routes involve serious hazards including rockfall, avalanche, and rapidly deteriorating weather. Full disclaimer →