Jewel Basin’s Mount Aeneas and Picnic Lakes Loop in Montana's Flathead National Forest 

One of the best kept secrets in Northwest Montana and Glacier Country. The Jewel Basin hiking area lies on the east side of the Flathead Valley not far from Glacier National Park. We venture up to the summit of Mount Aeneas where panoramic views of Flathead Lake, The Flathead Valley, The Jewel Basin, and the peaks of Glacier National Park. We then drop into the Jewel Basin and hike past the Picnic Lakes and up and out of the basin back to the trailhead. Our hike came in at just a touch over 7 miles and 2,500 feet of elevation gain.