Mount Aeneas Summit Trail

The Mount Aeneas Summit Trail is located in the Flathead National Forest and begins at the Camp Misery trailhead. The road to Camp Misery can be pretty rough. I have seen 2WD cars in the parking area, but my preference would be a more capable vehicle if you have one available. This is a dog-friendly hike, but dogs must be on a leash.

This trail is my go-to hike anytime friends or family come into town and want to hike to the top of a mountain. It offers expansive views of the Flathead Valley and surrounding wilderness areas. We give this hike a Trekking Wild rating of medium difficulty. It has a little over 1,700 feet of elevation gain, so it will get your heart rate up, but most of the climbing is fairly gradual. The last half mile gets a little steeper, but you are treated to an awesome ridge walk up to the summit. It’s my favorite part of the hike. It’s not uncommon to see mountain goats as you near the summit. Be sure to give them space; 25 yards is the recommended distance.

My favorite experience on this trail was a time when I was hiking up the ridge in that last half mile before the summit. As I was going up, a mountain goat was coming down. I moved over as much as possible to give him space, and I was able to capture the image at the top of this post. It’s an experience I will never forget.