Mount Helena City Park

According to the Prickly Pear Land Trust website, Mount Helena City Park is the second largest city park in the United States.  At just over 700 acres in size, Mount Helena City Park is surpassed in size only by Central Park in New York City.   The important point of separation between our parks, however, is that our park is a genuine mountain.  The peak of Mount Helena rises to an elevation of 5,468 feet above sea level and presides over the city of Helena, Montana, more than 1,000 feet directly below the highest rocky promontories.

Once you climb to the top of Mount Helena (on any of several trails that loop to the top), an expansive view is provided in all directions.  Directly below, to the north and east, lie the streets of the capital city of Montana (population of about 30,000).   Beyond that, roving clouds extend over the wide Prickly Pear Valley, the Sleeping Giant mountain formation, and Lake Helena.  To the west you find the very mountains that comprise the Continental Divide, which cleaves the rainfall waters and sends the east slope watershed to the Atlantic Ocean and the west slope watershed to the Pacific Ocean.  The south is given entirely to heavily forested mountains.

That girl and I hiked to the summit of Mount Helena yesterday.   We trekked through cool pine forests and seas of arrowleaf balsamroot flowers to reach the summit.  After reaching the top, we stood for a long time trying to comprehend the view as a whole.  Posted are photographs from our hike.

 

--Mitchell Hegman