Hike to Garnet Mountain Lookout

Starting in Bozeman, travel south of Gallatin Gateway about 5 miles on Hwy 191 and turn left on to Storm Castle Creek Road. Follow this road for about 3.5 miles until the road ends. At this point, there is a decent sized parking area. 

The trail is open year round with ATV access and also snowmobile access as well. Winter travel increases the length of route to 10 miles in one direction. This description will detail the summer route to Garnet Mountain Lookout. The trail begins and after about 3/4 of a mile, Rat Lake appears. This is a decent sized mountain lake and a decent spot to fish. Following the trail carved out by ATV's, Garnet Mountain is reached about 3 miles after Rat Lake. The return route is the same as the ascent. 

To rent out the lookout tower, a recreation.gov site contains the availability and the means to reserve the site for backpacking or camping use.

The summit views showcase the surrounding area during all seasons and is a highly recommended day hike in the Bozeman area.