The Big Sky variant or Butte Super Cut-off is a route that we hiked last year that travels from the CDT south of Yellowstone (at Two Ocean Pass) north to meet the CDT again north of Butte (at Delmoe Lake). It cuts out the Montana/Idaho border section of the CDT and travels through Yellowstone east and north boundaries, Gallatin Petrified Forest, Spanish Peaks and the Tobacco Root mountains. We are not the first to thru hike this way. Jim and Ginny Owen did so northbound in 2006. The Onion hiked a roughly similar line in 2007, provided good notes and mapped out the northern half from Delmoe Lake to Yellowstone north border in 'Jonathan Ley style' maps downloadable on-line. Skittles and Recess have hiked it in 2008 too. I am sure that there are others.

For a mileage overview click on the map to the right

Open individual maps from the overview map

Big Sky hike southern section Brian's 20 maps (36MB)

Big Sky hike northern section Onion's 13 maps (52MB)

Photos from the Big Sky variant

The two sets of maps overlap between Ennis and the north corner of Yellowstone as both Onion and ourselves took different routes in this area and the overlap means that both are now mapped.

Back to Brian's CDT Home page

Why hike the Big Sky variant?

Well we did it primarily for a bit of fun and adventure away from the CDT and to explore different ground. Southbound we thought the CDT in mid-Montana a bit dull with lots of lodge pole pine and the alternative provided some varied scenery. It was also refreshing to be heading out on our own making the route up as we went along- or at least it felt like that. Somehow if we got into less interesting hiking we made more of it because the route felt ours more than the CDT. It covers some interesting territory too- the Spanish Peaks offered the best mountains we had hiked since Glacier NP, Gallatin Petrified Forest has nice ridges and ... petrified trees, and we meandered on a long hike through remote, scenic and wildlife rich parts of Yellowstone. Yellowstone isn't quite up to Glacier or the Winds but it still provides a worthy hike on good trails with few other hikers around. It's also a fair bit shorter than the CDT equivalents; about 353 miles as described, to the CDT Butte route's 576 miles and the Anaconda cut-off's 517 miles. A mileage breakdown is shown on the overview map. We used days saved on the Big Sky to spend more time in the wonderful Wind Rivers further south in central Wyoming.

 

Other Useful Maps You could easily navigate the route as we hiked it using the downloadable maps above. Listed below are other useful maps which would be handy for planning.
Yellowstone and Grand Teton Travel Map ($4.95)	I couldn't find this on the web but can be purchased locally and is great- almost a must have for planning. Extends from Union Pass in the Winds, Togwatee Pass, Two Ocean Pass to Yellowstone and also the Grand Tetons. Also good for planning another alternative between Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons to Green Lakes in the Winds but that's another story...
National Geographic 201 Yellowstone	Good overview of Yellowstone NP although (irritatingly!) it doesn't show campsites.
Beartooth Bozeman, Big Sky,West Yellowstone	Covers the Skyline trail in Yellowstone, Gallatin ridge, north of Yellowstone over to the Spanish Peaks. Sometimes the Beartooth maps lack detail but I was glad I carried this one.
Beartooth Tobacco Root Mountains (Due Spring 2010)	Not out yet but this would cover Ennis to Whitehall.
Southwest Montana Interagency Visitor/Travel Map	This has been updated for 2008. I had the 1996 one but it has no contours and I wouldn't buy or carry it if hiking the route again. The Beartooth maps would be better IMHO.
Yellowstone camping guide	You have to book campsites in Yellowstone but as a CDT thru hiker you can do it over the phone. This link provides details and a campsite map for the park.

Other References

2006 Hike Jim and Ginny Owen's journal

2008 Hike Skittles and Recess journal description

The Onion's notes on his hike of the route