From Bozeman, drive south out of the city on 19th Avenue which eventually bends westward about 5.6 kilometres south of the intersection with Blackwood Drive.  Continue for another 1.6 kilometres before turning left onto Hyalite Canyon Road.  Drive 15.9 kilometres, and just before the road crosses a dam at the north end of Hyalite Reservoir, turn right to enter a large parking lot (vault toilets available).  Although Hyalite Canyon Road is plowed in winter and suitable for 2WD vehicles, the road can be perilously icy.  Go slow and drive with care.

From the parking lot, Zosia and I crossed a bridge over Blackmore Creek and skied a trail which runs along the west shore of Hyalite Reservoir.  Despite a thin and crusty base, new snow helped to freshen up the trail which made the skiing quite enjoyable.  Past the south end of the reservoir, we skied as far as Window Rock Cabin where we chatted briefly with an ice climber who was staying there.  From the cabin, we crossed both West Fork Middle Creek and Hyalite Canyon Road before turning northward onto a winding and undulating trail.  We eventually crossed another road and East Fork Hyalite Creek before climbing up to Maxey Cabin which is situated in a large meadow.  Like Window Rock Cabin, Maxey Cabin is also available for bookings, but on this day, it was unoccupied and locked up.  We were still able to sit on the cabin's spacious deck for a pleasant lunch break.

When we resumed skiing, Zosia and I skied out the access road for Maxey Cabin.  Inexplicably, we sailed past the ski trail junction and ended up on Hyalite Canyon Road about halfway along the eastern shore of the reservoir.  Loath to backtrack, we simply skied along the plowed road even though snow coverage was barely adequate for skiing.  Aside from a few odd scrapes and keeping clear of sporadic vehicle traffic, we enjoyed a lengthy but gentle downhill glide on the road and across the dam to return to our starting point.  The parking lot was buzzing with people as we concluded our ski, and the most popular winter activities here appear to be ice fishing and tobogganing.  Although we did see some other skiers during the day, Zosia and I were fortunate to ski most of our loop in quiet solitude.

	Snow is falling as Zosia begins skiing from the parking lot at Hyalite Reservoir.
	Hyalite Reservoir is mostly frozen and snow-covered on this day.
	Zosia and Sonny pose with some festive locals.
	Zosia descends a large clearing at the south end of the reservoir.
	Zosia arrives at Window Rock Cabin.
	Sonny tries to cross a small creek without getting his skis wet. Photo courtesy of Zosia Zgolak
	Zosia arrives at Maxey Cabin.
	Sonny and Zosia greet the custodian of Maxey Cabin.
	Zosia skis down the access road for Maxey Cabin.

Here is a comprehensive view of Middle Creek Dam at the north end of Hyalite Reservoir.

 

	Zosia skis across Middle Creek Dam with Palisade Mountain in the background.
	Total Distance:  10.8 kilometres Round-Trip Time:  4 hours 4 minutes Cumulative Elevation Gain:  123 metres GPX Data