Beehive Peak is a

summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topography, topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used ...

located in Madison County, Montana, United States.

Description

Beehive Peak is the second-highest peak in the Spanish Peaks which is a subrange of the Madison Range. It is situated north-northwest of Big Sky, Montana, and southwest of

Bozeman Bozeman is a city and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. Located in southwest Montana, the 2020 census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it the fourth-largest city in Montana. It is the principal city of th ...

. The peak is set within the

Lee Metcalf Wilderness The Lee Metcalf Wilderness is located in the northern Rocky Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. Created by an act of Congress in 1983, this rugged alpine wilderness is divided into four separated parcels typified by complex mountain topogra ...

on land managed by

Gallatin National Forest The Gallatin National Forest (now known as the Custer-Gallatin National Forest) is a United States National Forest located in South-West Montana. Most of the Custer-Gallatin goes along the state's southern border, with some of it a part of Nort ...

. Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into tributaries of the Gallatin River. Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises above South Fork Spanish Creek in one mile (1.6 km).

Climate

Based on the Köppen climate classification, Beehive Peak is located in a

subarctic climate The subarctic climate (also called subpolar climate, or boreal climate) is a climate with long, cold (often very cold) winters, and short, warm to cool summers. It is found on large landmasses, often away from the moderating effects of an ocean, ge ...

zone characterized by long, usually very cold winters, and short, cool to mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below −10 °F with wind chill factors below −30 °F.

Etymology

This mountain's toponym has not been officially adopted by the

United States Board on Geographic Names The United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) is a federal body operating under the United States Secretary of the Interior. The purpose of the board is to establish and maintain uniform usage of geographic names throughout the federal governm ...

, so it is not labelled on USGS maps, and will remain unofficial as long as the USGS policy of not adopting new toponyms in designated wilderness areas remains in effect. The peak is named in association with Beehive Lake and Beehive Basin which are both below the peak, and are both officially named.

Climbing

The first recorded ascent of the summit was made in the early 1950s by Dave Wessel.Thomas Turiano (2013), ''Beehive Peak'', Outsidebozeman.com
Retrieved 2023-07-27. The summit can be accessed via the southwest couloir following a 5.5-mile hike and 2,842 feet of elevation gain. There is a plaque on the summit which was placed to remember climber Kit Jones who perished climbing here in 1966.

References

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External links