Lee Ridge Trail

Lee Ridge Trail is a 12-mile out and back from Chief Mountain Highway to the Gable Pass Trail junction, about six miles each way. It climbs steadily to roughly 7,450 feet, with nearly 2,000 feet of total ascent by the mapped elevation profile. Allow around eight hours with breaks. This is a long backcountry day for hikers comfortable with a sustained climb; it is not a quick overlook walk.

The route starts on Chief Mountain Highway (MT 17), near mile 17.8 and just short of the Canadian border. The entry is easy to miss: there is no developed lot at the start, only small roadside parking nearby, and the faint marker is about 150 yards along the road. A larger parking area by the border station is a landmark, not the trail entrance. The first 2.5 miles roll gently through lodgepole pine, with thimbleberry along the path; the grade then builds steadily.

Open meadow pockets begin around mile 3.5, with broad views arriving later as you reach treeline at about 4.5 miles. The ridge looks toward Chief Mountain, Ninaki and Papoose to the east, Mount Cleveland and the Belly River peaks to the west, and Gable Mountain ahead. The ground itself is a highlight: rock and low plants make alternating stripes across the alpine fellfield. This is the place to frame those bands with the skyline above.

Past treeline, the footpath fades into tundra, and cairns guide the final stretch. Keep them in sight; the last half-mile becomes very steep, especially the final quarter. The Lee Ridge route ends where it meets Gable Pass Trail. The junction has wide views and is a natural turnaround, but it is not Gable Pass itself.

Gable Pass lies roughly another half-mile along Gable Pass Trail. That continuation drops into a boulder field before climbing to the pass; hiking there and back makes the day about 13 miles total. Snow can linger into early summer and return in fall, when it may hide the cairns. Check current conditions before setting out. Pets are not permitted on park trails or in the backcountry.