Hardscrabble Peak is a prominent 9,571-foot mountain in Montana’s Bridger Range of the Rocky Mountains, about 16 miles north of Bozeman in Gallatin National Forest. The range’s fourth-highest summit rises steeply, climbing about 2,000 feet above Fairy Lake in just 1.25 miles. Water from its east slope reaches Fairy Creek, Flathead Creek, and eventually the Shields and Yellowstone rivers, while its west slope drains to tributaries of the East Gallatin River. The peak lies in an alpine subarctic climate with long, cold, snowy winters, cool to warm summers, and precipitation throughout the year. Its officially recognized name reflects rocky or poor-quality land.