Buried beneath the surface of Sage Mountain Center is a foundation of granite and crystal. Above the earthen surface are magnificent rock formations of magical scale and form. Our lives here have been embedded within these formations that are a part of the little known 75-million-year-old Boulder Batholith of North America.

The Boulder Batholith is a relatively small batholith in southwestern Montana. A batholith is a mass of plutonic rock larger than 100 square kilometers (40 square miles) in area, which forms from cooled magma  deep in the Earth’s crust.The Batholith was named for the prominent rounded boulders that typify its landscape and the result of  the weathering of fractured granite. Pondering these intricate and seemingly intentional formations, one cannot help but wonder if they are naturally occurring.The largest quartz crystal in Montana was also discovered here and currently resides in the Mineral Museum at the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology.

In 1996 while hiking around the property one day we discovered “The Sage Wall”. The Wall is a 275’ x 24’ jaw-dropping wonder. In order to make these boulder areas more accessible and highlight their beauty, we created a moderate two-mile trail system. Additional features of the trail include 400-year-old Douglas fir trees, the spectacular views of the Ruby Valley 20 miles away, and the Highland Mountain Range sitting at 10,000’ elevation.

One of the gifts of living among ancient geological features is they connect us to a broader sense of time. Instead of thinking back 600 years when Europeans colonized North America or even 40,000 years to the beginning of modern homosapiens, we can observe and touch material that is millions of years old. The human life span of about 80 years does not seem so important in the context of geological time. Being here brings awareness of the precious nature and possibility of the moment, as well as a sense of being part of the family of all things.

Trail hikes and tours are by appointment only. Please leave pets at home.