Inspired in Ennis

It all started in Ennis, a fly fishing mecca in the Madison River Valley. Ennis is just 60 miles southwest of Bozeman and about 70 miles northwest of Yellowstone National Park.  My family had made a tradition of attending the 4th of July rodeo there and taking in the old mining town history of Virginia and Nevada Cities, which are just to the west of Ennis.  On one of these visits we decided to keep following Hwy 287 south out of town so we could take in the spectacular scenery of this large grassy river valley, which is accented by the Lee Metcalf Wilderness on the east and the Gravely Mountain Range on the west.  Just on the edge of town on the west side of the highway we noticed a hotel, the Rainbow Valley Lodge, with very nice looking paddocks for horses.  We thought, wow, wouldn't it be great if we could stay there sometime with our horses and trail ride in this beautiful area? 


Paddock at Rainbow Valley Lodge

My teenage kids were busy with other things, so I snagged my best friend, Teri, and we planned a "girls weekend" for trail riding. The lodge grounds are beautifully manicured and the paddocks were very well kept up.  We could observe our horses from the back window of our hotel room.  It was awesome to be so close to our equine companions. 

Indian Creek Trail

We asked the owner of the lodge where he would recommend riding.  He gave us directions to Indian Creek, just south of Cameron on the east side of Hwy 287.  To reach the trail head, we traveled south on Hwy 287, passed Cameron, and continued several miles (probably about 30 miles from Ennis) until we saw a sign for CB Ranch. We turned left at that sign and followed the dirt road until we reached a parking lot large enough for several trailers.  Hitching rails were also available.

We happened to be riding on the last day of bow-hunting season and just before rifle season opened, so we donned hunters orange vests and tied orange ribbons on the saddles and bridles of our horses just to be safe.

Indian Creek

The trail starts on the far side of a green hinged gate that is  right at the parking lot. The trail forks initially.  One fork leads up the hill to the right. The other cuts into the side of the hill to the left. We took the trail to the left. About 200 yards around the hill, we encountered and proceeded through a barbed wire gate.  From there, the trail dropped down and came out on a two track road that runs along a rail fence to private property. Horses and hikers are granted access to the property, so the trail leads across a bridge and through the  front yard of a cabin. About 1/4 miles passed the cabin, the trail leads on into the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.  The trail follows Indian Creek, sometimes climbing above the creek,  where the sides of the trail can get steep in a few places.  But, the footing is good.  We enjoyed the sound of the water in the creek and the variety of fall colors. 

We encountered hikers returning from their hike who said there was a beautiful waterfall further on.  If only we had known there was a waterfall, we would have planned for a longer ride.

As it was, we had to turn around to make it back to the trailer in time to make the trip home. 
But, as we rode, we talked about how nice it would be to have a trail guide for horseback riders like us. Then, we might have been able to plan better and make it all the way to the waterfall.  Also, we knew there must be many more wonderful trails to explore in this stunning area. We talked about how the guide could also include a directory of great places to stay with horses, such as the Rainbow Valley Lodge, and of points of interest to visit, such as Virginia City, as part of a weekend trail riding getaway. 

Thus, the idea for our guide was born.  We also vowed to return to Indian Creek and finish our ride to the waterfall and to gather more detailed information for our guide.  So, stay tuned.  There is more to come about Indian Creek and trail riding near Ennis.