The Scratchgravel Hills northwest of Helena, Montana, form a compact upland rising to about 5,233 feet on the edge of the Helena region. More than a single mountain, the area is geologically diverse, with alluvial deposits over faulted granitic bedrock, Belt-age shale, sandstone, and limestone in the north, altered metamorphic rocks nearby, and quartz monzonite in the south and center. The hills also reflect a long history of human use, with extensive mining from the late 1800s into the 1930s. In more recent years, development has increased as water levels have dropped, while bitterroot and conifers remain characteristic of the landscape.