Maps: Lake Cameron and Sphinx Mountain USGS Quads, and Gallatin National Forest Map.

Finding the trailhead: Drive south of Ennis on U.S. Highway 287 for 11.1 miles. Turn left and head east on Bear Creek Road (Forest Road 327) at Cameron. Bear Creek Road heads east on pavement for 3 miles, then turns south on a good gravel road for 1.5 miles until it turns east and goes another mile to the Bear Creek Ranch. Turn south here again and travel less than a mile to a junction; turn left, heading east up Bear Creek to the Bear Creek Ranger Station. It is 8 miles from the highway to Bear Creek Campground and Trailhead.

Parking & trailhead facilities: Ample parking, campground, ranger station.

Key points

2.0 Junction with Trail 325
5.0 Helmet saddle
5.5 Junction with Trail 346
10.5 Trailhead

Trail 326 enters the Lee Metcalf Wilderness just beyond the Bear Creek Ranger Station and then follows the Trail Fork of Bear Creek to the northeast for about 2 miles before it joins Trail 325. Stay left on Trail 325 to the saddle between the Helmet and the Sphinx, which is another 3 miles. During this portion of the hike, you'll experience most of the 2,300-foot elevation gain.

From this saddle, you have two logical side trips-climbs to the summits of the Helmet and the Sphinx, which, incidentally, do resemble a helmet and a sphinx. Scaling the Helmet takes less than two hours and the Sphinx slightly more. They're both technical scrambles that may require a rope. The Sphinx has the edge on vistas, with much of the Madison Range visible from the 10,876-foot summit, including the Yellow Mules country to the northeast (which still has grizzly bears) and Koch Peak, Shedhorn Ridge, No Man Ridge, and the Taylor Peaks to the south. At the summit, stay clear of the edge lest you fall over an incredibly steep cliff into the Indian Creek Valley.

After the climbs are behind you and you're back in the saddle, continue down the north side on Trail 325 into the Middle Fork of Bear Creek. From a T junction with Trail 346, Trail 325 continues down the drainage 3.5 miles to a bridge across the creek. From the bridge, the trail leads you south through mostly open country and directly back to the Bear Creek Ranger Station.

It's about 5 miles out to the road, making this a tough, 10.5-mile hike, not including the mountain climbs. The Middle Fork and a smaller stream on the climb are the only reliable water sources, so plan on carrying water with you.

If you're camping, pick one of several good sites along the Middle Fork. You can spend some time after supper trying to spot a member of the area's large moose population.

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