Willow Mountain Trip on June 24

On Sunday, June 24 we will paddle to the mouth of Meriwether Canyon in the Gates of the Mountains area and then hike to Willow Mountain. The photo, taken from the other side of the river last October, shows Willow Mountain (highest peak on photo) with Mann Gulch in the foreground. Meriwether Canyon is to the right of Mann Gulch.

The plan . . .
We will put our kayaks/canoes in at Hilger Landing ($4 per canoe/kayak), paddle 3.2 miles (1-1.5 hours) on the Missouri River to Coulter Campground. We will leave our boats there and then follow a trail to the mouth of Meriwether Canyon. We will continue hiking, following the trail (many nice switch-backs) to the ridge that separates Mann Gulch from Meriwether Canyon and then follow the very scenic trail until it ends near the head of Mann Gulch. We will continue hiking (no trail) to a secondary peak of Willow Mountain. The hike is about 11 miles round-trip.

I did this trip on Tuesday, June 14. I left town at 7 am and got home at 5 pm, but I really pushed it on the paddle part (12-ft. kayak). CLICK HERE to see 4 photos from that trip.

If the weather is bad, the trip will be postponed. It was originally scheduled for June 10, but it was very cold and windy that day. Let me know if you plan to go, and then meet in the parking lot on the east side of Dillard's (Capital Hill Mall) at 7 am on Sunday, June 24. It is a 20-minute drive to Hilger Landing (place where Gates of the Mountains Boat Tours depart from). If you are in going to be in a hurry to get back, do NOT participate. I estimate that we will be back between 6-7 pm.

The tough part . . .
The difficult part of the trip might be the paddle back to Hilger Landing after the hike. You will be tired and it always seems to be windy on summer afternoons (the canyon is a funnel). Furthermore, there will be motor boats on the river by then, especially on a Sunday afternoon.

CLICK HERE for the weather forecast at our destination.

Students: If you want to do this trip, you will have to provide your own kayak (rent one) or canoe, and you will have to haul it out there and back . . . Which means, you are going to need to bring your mom or dad along. I would not recommend this trip unless you are in really good shape.