SUPERIOR - One more walk was all I wanted.

Last November, before winter arrived in earnest and outdoor recreation turned to skiing or snowshoeing, my wife and I made one final foray into the forest on foot.

Sitting below the Montana-Idaho divide near Superior, Heart Lake makes for an easy getaway any time of year. Spring brings a bounty of wildflowers, in summer it's huckleberries, a beautiful stand of aspens just off the trail turns golden in early fall, and there's backcountry skiing up nearby Hoodoo Pass in winter.

In mid-November, it offers a sampling of two seasons, with fall's reds, oranges and yellows highlighted by a dusting of early snow. On the right day, you can even find a bit of blue sky.

The hike to Heart Lake starts from a recently improved trailhead southwest of Superior. Take Diamond Road 19 miles out of town; at mile marker five, the road turns to gravel and follows Trout Creek. While there was some snow on the road this time last year, it was still easily passable.

From the parking lot, the trail travels south through the trees along a fork of Trout Creek, crossing two small streams on log bridges and climbing uphill.

The trail then switchbacks up the east side of the valley, crosses another stream on a log bridge, and another without a bridge; toe the line of rocks.

On the other side of the creek, it reaches a junction. Turn south here and walk the last short stretch past a couple of campsites to Heart Lake at 2.2 miles.

The day we hiked, red dogwood branches and green pines poked through about 4 inches of snow, white summits reached for a partly sunny sky and a jumble of floating logs lined the shore at the outlet creek.

Make the lake your turnaround point after a snack, or continue around the east shore and uphill to Pearl Lake, about a half-mile farther.

A few final words to the wise: Logs and snow are a slippery mix; use caution crossing the creeks and around the lake.

News editor Justin Grigg can be reached at 523-5243 or at jgrigg@missoulian.com.