The highest peak in the Madison Range and the highest point in Montana outside the Beartooth Mountains, a sharp glacial horn deep in the Taylor-Hilgard Unit of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.
Most parties aiming for Hilgard Peak specifically approach via the West Fork of Beaver Creek, reached from US 287 (which runs between Ennis and West Yellowstone). This route bypasses scenic Hilgard Basin itself, a popular destination in its own right with nearly 20 lakes and tarns, which can alternatively be used as a base camp. An alternate, less-popular approach starts from the Papoose Creek Trailhead (signed off US 287 near the Madison Valley West Fork Rest Area, following Trail #355); this route has been used when the Beaver Creek approach was closed, but is reported as a genuinely grueling, largely off-trail undertaking of around 18 miles and 6,000 feet of gain.