I started going into the Pintlers in 1985 when I was looking for a place to do some fall backpacking between working on the fire crew in Superior and school at the University of Montana. I have made a number of multi-day backpacking trips in the area and climbed several of the peaks. Access is very reasonable with multiple trailheads on both the Georgetown Lake and Big Hole River sides. The trail system is very good with lots of loop options. The only caveates are most passes are over 9,000 feet, some long climbs and occasionally brutal short pitches. For example, if you are coming from Cutaway Pass to Warren Lake then there is an 18 switchback climb of 450 feet over a 1/2 mile before you get to Warren Lake; which is a challenging way to end a day of hiking. There are some good opportunities to do some cross-country travel at or above treeline. The road into Moose Lake from the Skalkaho Pass side is a county road with year-round residents. In the winter the road is plowed (at least it used to be) and a friend and I were able to complete a winter trip into the Carpp Lakes and Warren Pass; so something to consider for those who are looking for some additional adventures. The Pintlers do not have the expansiveness of the Bob Marshall or Selway Bitteroot Wildernesses but it definitely has some very good qualities.
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