Montana’s Wildflower Season: Forest Service Leaders Share Best Locations to See the Spring Bloom

Posted by Tim Cotroneo
on March 11, 2025

With spring around the corner, we reached out to Forest Service leaders from across Montana to get their recommendations on the best places and times to see wildflowers.

Below you’ll find their recommendations for the best of the best where spring has sprung.

Kira Powell, Public Affairs Officer for the Flathead National Forest: Credit Flathead National Forest Spokesperson

Wildflower bloom times are tied to elevation, as you may know. Some plants live in lower elevations and start to bloom earlier, whereas some native plants make their homes in high alpine meadows that are still covered in snow when the lower elevation plants have already finished blooming. We are lucky in the Flathead Valley to have wildflower blooms visible from as late April some years, through August in the high country.

One of the first plants to provide a showy bloom is the arrowleaf balsamroot, typically starting in May in lower elevations on sunny slopes.

- The Beardance Trail on the Swan Lake Ranger District is a nice place to catch the arrowleaf

In the summer, the Jewel Basin area is nice, but prepare for crowds. Mount Aeneas and the surrounding lakes typically have wildflowers blooming mid-June through early August.
A good spot for viewing a diversity of wildflowers is the Danny On Trail in June through early August.
Dickey Lake by Essex is another great spot from July through August.
The hike to Finger Lake crosses a bunch of different habitats and has some of the bench-like areas which are excellent for flowers. It’s a short hike with just a few small grunts of exertion, concluding at the lake as a nice reward for the effort.

As always, please be aware of grizzly bears. Once bears emerge from their dens, they can be drawn to spring wildflower habitat. Please bring bear spray, hike in groups, make noise, and review bear safety practice before starting your hike.

Jaime Trivette, Partnership Coordinator with the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest

Wildflowers start blooming generally in late June through early August in Southwest Montana, depending largely on elevation and snowpack.

A great place to see wildflowers is in the Gravelly Mountain Range, which is just southwest of Ennis. Large displays of Old Man of the Mountain, sky pilot, low larkspur, and shooting star, are common.

- Many other species of wildflowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees occur across the landscape, while unique species such as elephant’s head, pygmy bitterroot, and steers head can be seen with a keen eye. Elevations range from 7,400 to 9,500 feet in elevation.
- The Gravelly Range Road opens on July 1^st and blooming wildflowers can generally be seen around that time. This road is a great choice for those seeking the beauty of wildflowers without getting off the beaten path.

Goat Flat in the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, and many of the high alpine lakes, often have incredible displays of wildflowers and can generally be seen through late July and early August.

Chiara Cipriano, Public Affairs Officer for the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest

Highwood Mountains: Visit in late May-early July (closest town: Great Falls).
Willow Creek Trail: Visit in July (closest town: Augusta).
Lewis and Clark Pass: Visit at end of June/early July (closest town: Lincoln).
Heart Lake: Visit at the end of June through July (closest town: Lincoln).
Onion Park: Visit at end of June-July (closest town: Neihart).
Harley Park: Visit at end of June -July (closest town: Neihart).
Indian Flats: Visit at end of June/early July (closest town: Helena/Nelson).
South Hills of Helena: Visit at the end of May to mid-June (closest town: Helena) end of May through mid-June.

Also, here is a free wildflower guide developed with the Montana Discovery Foundation and the Montana Native Plant Society. It is written specifically for Mount Helena, but many of the species can be found across the forest as well.

Morgan De Meyer, Public Affairs Specialist Forest Service, Custer Gallatin National Forest

Early Spring (April – May): In lower elevation regions, such as the prairies and foothills of Montana, the wildflower season commences as early as April. Especially Glacier Lilies and Bitterroot.
Mid-Spring (May – June):

- As spring advances, wildflowers begin to populate in higher elevations, including foothills and lower mountain slopes. This season brings a variety of blooms like Arrowleaf Balsamroot and Shooting Stars.

Peak Season (June – July):

- The wildflower season reaches its height in late spring and early summer. Alpine meadows, subalpine forests, and mountain valleys start to display species like Paintbrushes, Lupines, and Columbines.

Late Summer (July – August):

- As summer continues, wildflowers shift to higher altitudes, with alpine and subalpine areas showcasing their floral variety. Notable blooms include Beargrass and Elephant’s Head Lousewort.

Late Bloomers (August – September):

- Certain wildflower species thrive in cooler, high-elevation areas and continue to bloom into late summer and early fall. Hiking in the mountains during this time tends to produce Alpine Forget-Me-Nots and Fireweed.

Districts

Bozeman District– Generally, I would think you would start to see spring flowers mid May to early June

Fairy Lake Road has some promising areas as you get closer to the lake.

- The low meadows on the north end of the Shafthouse 540 trail can be great in the spring.

Hyalite Canyon has some moist meadows on the west side of Hyalite Creek across from Langhour campground (off the 6231 road) and also along the beginning of the History Rock trail that are easy to get to and might be good in early June. The large meadow at the Window Rock cabin might also be a good place to look
Little Bear area is good. There are good flowers near the Little Bear Cabin in the summer.
Taylor Creek has some great sagebrush flats that in the right conditions would have great wildflower displays. There are a lot of flat meadows all along the creek with pretty good summer wildflowers, so you might have good luck in the spring, too.
Meadows in the Bridgers: Probably late June/early July.
South Cottonwood: You can see glacier lilies as soon as April/early May.
The M Trail: As soon as the snow melts you can begin to see flowers and continue to see them throughout the summer but May is peak time.
Sypes Canyon: As soon as the snow begins to melt, you will be able to find Glacier lilies and shooting stars. If you miss the common harebells and asters this spring, don’t worry they’ll be there until late September. Berry bushes will start to pop up as the weather only gets better and you can find Canada violets blooming in their shade. More wildflowers can be seen along the ascent during late spring, so keep an eye out for the many-flowered stickseed, heartleaf arnica, field chickweed, prairie smoke, and Oregon grapes!
Drinking Horse: Flowers can be seen as early as the second week of spring all up and down the hillside!

Yellowstone District

West Pine Creek: Trail 139 for the first couple of miles in early June is good.
Mill Creek especially once you get past the Passage Falls Trail. This area has good summer displays so maybe good for spring also I’d say around early June.

Gardiner District

Lulu Pass Road: This road has spectacular wildflowers in the summer, particularly where the road first leaves the Beartooth Highway. The spring flowers would be great. The seasons can get fairly compressed up there so maybe mid-June.
Beartooth Highway: Visit in mid to late June.

Beartooth District

Silver Run: There are some big meadows as you drive along Silver Run Creek towards the #64 trailhead that have good summer displays so maybe good for spring.
Benbow area out of Dean: There are a lot of meadows in the first 3-4 miles once you hit the Forest Service boundary. Some have good balsam root populations that should be blooming in early June. Many of the meadows are drier but maybe once the road gets up to Little Rocky Creek you might see some moist site displays also.
West Rosebud Road: After you pass Reeves Lake, the area opens up into some sagebrush meadows and the balsam root is thick here and is probably beautiful around early June. There are more meadows as you drive toward the Mystic Lake Trail head that might have potential.
East Rosebud Road has some nice wet meadows around Sand Dunes Picnic and Jimmy Joe Campground that would probably be good.

Ashland and Sioux District

These are trickier as they are so moisture and timing dependent but there are some good places to see prairie wildflowers on a good year. My recommendation is if they are looking for those landscapes in particular, to get in touch with us in late April-early May and we can ask the district how things are shaping up. Things may start happening in early May.

Bryce Kadrmas, Acting Partnership Coordinator at Lolo National Forest

Clearwater Canoe Trail is a great place to spot wildflowers.
Morrell Falls Trail is another great option to see wildflowers in the spring.
The below article suggests Blue Mountain and Woods Gulch / Pattee Canyon. Also includes wildflower species and directions: https://www.montananaturalist.org/wildflower-wanders/.
Lolo Pass has a great camas meadow I believe, but that would be a bit later.