Treasure County High Point Trip Report

Date: March 9, 2001
Author: Jerry Brekhus

From the Colstrip Super 8 we drove south on Highway 39 for 1.2 miles to Castle Rock Road, which heads west through a coal mining area. About 10 miles west, Castle Rock Road reaches a signed junction. The sign pointing to the west reads "SARPY CREEK - HIWAY 384 - 16.5 MI." We went 7.1 miles that way and parked in Rosebud County near the Treasure County line. This is open range (no fence along the road). We studied some large bird tracks on the road, and then noticed a flock of wild turkeys a few hundred yards west.

A north-south fence line follows the county line. We walked across grassland on the Rosebud County side. In about 0.9 mile we crossed into Treasure County on a ridge. I spotted a coyote which made itself scarce before Betty could see it. The country here is a mix of pines and grassland. The high point lies in the Little Wolf Mountains.

We continued cross-country, followed an occasional cow path, and encountered some deep snow around 4000 ft which slowed the final stretch, but we reached the top before noon. Higher points are visible to the south and east, but they are in Big Horn and Rosebud Counties. I tried out the level which John Mitchler recently shipped to me. It wasn't really needed here, but was fun to use anyway. Hiking distance was about 6.5 miles round-trip. We crossed a few fences, but none were posted.