The Lower Mt. Ellis trail begins by crossing a large open field with a steady incline (bikers, take note: it’s a bit of a grunt). At the top of the field is treeline, where an old logging road takes you up and around to the east side of the mountain. After a couple miles and a few switchbacks, the logging road takes a hard left, and a single-track trail continues up the flank of the mountain—straight up, mind you. After gaining a knoll, the final ascent gets even steeper, eventually topping out on a limestone outcropping with sweeping views of Triple Tree below, the Gallatin Valley beyond, and mountain ranges in all directions. If you’re not too pooped, continue south along the ridge to Mt. Ellis.