The Danny On Trail at Whitefish Mountain Resort leads hikers to the summit of Big Mountain, affording stunning panoramas of Glacier National Park and the Great Bear Wilderness.
But smoky skies have obscured the vistas in recent weeks, and hikers might find the best views from a crouched position, peering through the undergrowth that flanks the 3.8-mile trail.
The Danny On Trail meanders through forests of Douglas fir, western larch and spruce while traversing grassy ski runs laced with dense patches of huckleberries that are still ripe for the picking.
The slight winter snowpack and historically dry summer has been tough on the huckleberries throughout the region, but bumper crops of hucks, while sporadic, still pepper the Big Mountain, particularly at higher elevations.
Carry a milk jug on your hike to Flower Point, or take the chairlift and walk to the prominence from the summit while keeping an eye peeled for berries.
DIRECTIONS: The trailhead is located in the Village area of the Whitefish Mountain Resort. To access the resort from Whitefish, take Wisconsin Avenue north and turn west up Big Mountain Road at the ski area sign.