BUTTE, HELENA, AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA - Montana and Wyoming - page 339

RECREATION
MM Skiing Maverick Mountain
North of the town of Polaris, Maverick Mountain (1600 Maverick Mountain Rd., 406/
834-3454, www.skimaverick.com , Thurs.-Sun. and holidays Dec.-late Mar., $34 adults, $25
seniors, $21 juniors) boasts 24 trails, 255 skiable acres, and just over 2,000 feet of vertical
drop. There are two lifts, one of which is a rope tow, and a nice breakdown of beginner runs
(30 percent), intermediate (40 percent), and expert runs (30 percent). The area receives an
average of 250 inches of the white stuff annually.
An antidote to ski areas like Aspen and Sun Valley, the real charm of Maverick is its
total lack of pretense: You're likely to ride a chairlift with a rancher in Carhartt coveralls or
a Hutterite girl in a dress and braids. Skiing at Maverick is a little bit like skiing somewhere
small but fantastic in about 1968, with no lift lines and wide-open skiing. It is as family-
friendly as a ski hill gets, and the terrain is excellent.
MM Fishing the Big Hole
If Butte is a city built on mining, the Big Hole is a region defined by fishing and hunting.
For generations, the land and rivers here have provided pristine habitat for an abundance of
wildlife and terrific access for anglers and hunters.
The 155-mile-long Big Hole River is spectacularly beautiful and offers a diversity of
terrain, from its origin high in the Bitterroot Range, through the wide flats of the Big Hole
Valley. It is known for early-season salmonfly hatches and then a golden stone hatch in late
June-early July. It is also considered the last river where an angler can catch all five species
of trout.
The access to the river is pretty good, thanks to designated fishing access sites and in-
formal road access sites. Considered the most scenic of the stretches, the upper river from
its origin to Squaw Creek is known for huge brook trout and smaller cutthroat and rainbows.
There are native grayling here too, which can be caught but must be released. Brookies,
which can exceed 16 inches on this stretch, are primarily fished higher up on the upper river
while rainbows and cutts, usually 12 inches or less, are more plentiful downstream from
Wisdom. Don't forget to pack your mosquito repellent, especially in June and July. The
skeeters love all this water and are delighted with the fresh blood of anglers. By August,
they are usually not as much of a problem.
The stretch of river from Wise River to the Salmon Fly Fishing Access Site is ideally
suited to big browns and can be accessed along Highway 43 or from various fishing access
sites.