It was time to head home. I chose to start at the Phantom Creek trailhead in... We stood there, against the wind, looking at 3-4 pitches. The book documents popular backcountry runs across the Gallatin, Bridger, Madison, Absaroka and Beartooth ranges. After traveling approximately 10 miles, you have arrived at the scenic and inspiring Avalanche Lake. TouristLink members rank Avalanche Lake, Red Lodge Mountain and Avalanche Lake Stillwater as the top recreation / outdoor near Nye. The trail leads uphill, weaving in and out of the forest, and crossing the occasional rock field. Rainbow Lake is... From the trailhead hike about 2.5 miles to Sioux Charley lake with varying inclines of terrain, all in all a very easy and delightful hike. Boulder hopping along the western shore, you’ll pass the second and third Snowball Lake, where you’ll immediately hike up the hill, and bear left (crossing the outlet stream of the fourth Snowball Lake, buried under the boulders). The 14-mile roundtrip to Black Canyon Lake is an outstanding day hike - the best I found in this part of the Beartooths and one of the most scenic hikes I've done anywhere. Avalanche Lake lies beneath Montana’s highest mountain, Granite Peak, and is fed by melting snow and ice from Granite Glacier, giving the lake a beautiful teal color. The usual start is Adirondack Loj ($10/day parking fee) located at the end of Adirondak Loj Rd., a 5 mile road to the right off of Rt. It was a bit of an ice pitch, followed by a snow coliour, finishing with a pitch of mixed climbing that would take us to the top.I'd heard things abou... Also known as "The Beaten Path", the East Rosebud Trail is a highly traveled and well maintained trail with amazing views and a handful of lakes along the route. This adventure should take about 3 days, 2 nights, with 5 lakes stocked trout lakes. Length 10.2 mi Elevation gain 1299 ft Route type Out & back. Both involve skiing up Lake Fork Road in one directions and then crossing Lake Fork Rock Creek and skiing back along a trail. Although another popular route is to climb the mass of rock south of the second Snowball Lake, but this route involves more risk. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 5 am Wednesday for Glacier Park south to the Seeley Lake and Potomac areas. ... Crazy Mountain lake information can be found at the very end of this booklet. 4. Thread starter John Goering; Start date Aug 29, 2015; Tags beartooths montana John Goering Member. The line appeared too good to be true. Each year, hundreds of climbers tackle Granite Peak, usually with success. The Outbound works best with JavaScript enabled. streams of the Beartooths. The West Rosebud Trail functions as one of the major routes to Granite Peak, the highest point in Montana. After a mile of hiking uphill, the first Snowball Lake appears. Good Fishing! Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your Loading... Unsubscribe from 3strikesfly? 73 two miles east toward Keene. 8 Montana Lakes Worth the Hike May 29, 2017 Our Beartooth Mountains Hold Immaculate Lakes For the last several years, my hiking partner has been a baby, toddler, and then a young boy. © 2020 The Outbound Collective - Terms of Use - Privacy Policy. Beartooth Powder Guides is changing how we host our programs to adapt to the “New Normal”. From here, the trail leaves the lake at the inlet and continues to follow Huckleberry Creek to a cascading waterfall just before Cold Pond. We want to acknowledge and thank the past, present, and future generations of all Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples whose ancestral lands we travel, explore, and play on. Names sometimes say it all. Into the Beartooths! It is the range where all of Montana's 26 (or 27) 12,000 ft peaks exist. The Beartooth Range isn't exactly the most hospitable of places. Instead of pushing through a wall of cuts and bruises, or plunging your feet into ice cold water, if you hike uphill of the creek, you will reach an unnamed lake after about 70 yards. a darn good snowplow. The first loop is 1.0 mile. They say north aspects of remote mountain valleys, between elevations of 7,000-9,000 feet, located in and around Yellowstone National Park, are likely to have bear activity. There are a few ways to approach Granite Peak. Explore the most popular trails in my list Beartooths with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you. The north face is a fluid array of beautiful granite walls while the Granite Glacier sleeping at the base and filtering into Avalanche Lake. 11:47. ... Beartooth Range (1) Cooke City Area (0) Stillwater River Climbs (0) West Rosebud Canyon climbs (0) … We started at Island Lake for one of them and planned to exit at Clarks Fork. Find information on recreation / outdoor in Nye as well as 820 recreation / outdoor in Montana, 23467 recreation / outdoor As the boulders fade away to alpine grass, the hiking becomes easier- or so you think. It’s a 10 mile hike that gains over 3,000 feet to get to Avalanche Lake, but you’ll be glad you made the journey. The second heads up the Huckleberry Creek drainage to the col between Tempest Mountain and Granite Peak, passing 10,000 foot Avalanche Lake en-route. stocking in the Beartooths is 50-100 Yellowstone cutthroat trout fingerlings per acre every eight years. Turn right a couple of miles outside of Absarokee, onto Highway 419 (there will be a gas station at this turn). Those itching for more adventure could hike even further upstream to Princess Lake and for the true backcountry gurus, Avalanche Lake and Storm Lakes lie even deeper within the mountain fortress. This means that if hikers are commonly lost in an area, the trail might seem to lead off in multiple directions. Level 1 – Jan. 20-22, Feb. 10-12 Find information on recreation / outdoor in Nye as well as 820 recreation / outdoor in Montana, 23467 recreation / outdoor If all else fails, cairns have been placed along the trail to help guide hikers through the often confusing sections of the trail. Bell Lake Yurt – The Bell Lake Yurt offers camps, guided and unguided trips, and avalanche education in the Tobacco Root Mountains. Level 1 – Jan. 6-8, Jan. 13-15, Jan. 20-22 Level 2 – Feb. 2-5. Duration: A few days. To continue along the trail, you need to reach the south end of the lake, which appears intimidating at first. This fragile alpine environment suffers from even the slightest abuse, help preserve this incredible place for others. Limber Pine Campground is located 12 miles south of Red Lodge, in southern Montana. Challenging 7-mile trek up to the base camp at Glacier Lake below the Beartooths (14-miles roundtrip). At the outlet of Lower Storm Lake, you’ll see a large cairn. The fishing is phenomenal, and the views are hard to beat. 212. Strenuous: Avalanche Lake Situated at the base of Granite Peak, you can look to the highest point in Montana from here (of course, you can head on up if you’ve brought the proper gear). Chris Allington Photography 219 views. Snowball Lakes Route    Image ©2016 Google. Basin Campground is located 7 miles west of Red Lodge, Montana, along Forest Road 2071, which is paved all the way to the campgr... Overview Beartooth Powder Guides is an approved American Avalanche Association course provider. After 8 miles of hiking, Princess Lake appears, as well as the next obstacle. You also have the ability to continue on to Granite Peak (considered one of the hardest summits in the lower 48 and also highest Point in Montana). The road to the trail passes Emerald and West Rosebud Lakes just before arriving at the spacious parking area with available restrooms. 249 Main Ave. S, Suite 107-366 North Bend, WA 98045 (206) 909-0203 info@nwac.us. In fact, the cairns are so well placed that the trail has two different branches which all converge on one main trail- such is the beauty of improvised trails. The area surrounding East Rosebud Lake is private property so please stay on the road and don't stray off the trailhead parking areas. For a list of these peaks see this… Starting at the West Rosebud trailhead, the first 6 miles of this hike are like a highway; day hikers and backpackers hurry along the double track trail, which offers no challenges. Avalanche Lake lies beneath Montana’s highest mountain, Granite Peak, and is fed by melting snow and ice from Granite Glacier, giving the lake a beautiful teal color. From there wind upwards through the forest for 2 miles to Avalanche lake. Once the impressive Lower Storm Lake appears, a maze of krummholz, or stunted and deformed trees block the trail. Beartooth Lake Trailhead Access to Beartooth High Lakes, Castle Rock group and Snowbank Mountain - From the MT 308 and US 212 junction in Red Lodge, head west on US 212 for 40.5 miles to the Beartooth Lake turnoff on the right. No cuts on your legs, no frigid feet, and no frustration. Keep skiing to … The other trip we started at the trailhead for Lady of the Lake with plans to hike up to Sky Top Lakes. Be ready to suffer with a two week pack in upper west rosebud. This is a long route and will need some backcountry winter camping equipment for safety. Although most climbers prefer to use the, Starting at the West Rosebud trailhead, the first 6 miles of this hike are like a highway; day hikers and backpackers hurry along the double track trail, which offers no challenges. Measure from here and take this gravel road and stay straight after 0.3 mile and pass by the boat launch. Avalanche Lake is a 10.2 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Lake Placid, New York that features a river and is rated as moderate. Each year, hundreds of climbers tackle Granite Peak, usually with success. This is a recording I made halfway between Granite Peak (Montana's highest) and Avalanche Lake at about 3,500 metres (11,500 feet) in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness. Welcome to the Gallatin National Forest Avalanche Center (GNFAC) web site. After 6 miles, you cross Huckleberry Creek, where the hiking gets tougher. Follow this road for seven miles, turning left at the sign to Mystic Lake. Avalanche Lake Granite Lake and Lowary Lake. Be the first to leave a review! The clear blue water is a magnificent scene with Granite Peak (12,807') towering above you. Tyler McKay 1,941 views. The line appeared too good to be true. Continue reading “Avalanche Lake- Beartooth Mountains” » As many people ski this route as snowshoe it, but the trail does require advanced intermediate ability - i.e. Off trail travel in the beartooths is no joke. Fish species present in the Absaroka-Beartooth lakes include Yellowstone cutthroat trout, brook trout, rainbow trout, golden trout, arctic grayling, and variations of cutthroat/rainbow/golden trout hybrids. You can take the 5 mile round trip hike to Avalanche Lake through the Trail of the Cedars. Once you drive through Fishtail, drive one more mile down Highway 419, and then turn left onto West Rosebud Road. It wasn't the best ice I've ever climbed. The East Rosebud Valley is one of the most scenic in the Beartooths, filled with lakes, streams and waterfalls. The most popular route is the Mystic Lake trail in West Rosebud. Many of these trails are on US Forest Service public land. After Snowball Lakes, the hiking gets easier. We ended up bailing at Clay Butte from the lingering snowpack and the runoff. We stood there, against the wind, looking at 3-4 pitches. The trailhead has a campground, toilet facilities nearby, and a small town where people come for the summer to live. Avalanche Lake lies beneath Montana’s highest mountain, Granite Peak, and is fed by melting snow and ice from Granite Glacier, giving the lake a beautiful teal color. From here we took a break and we agreed to split up once again. In this neck of the woods, one could visit Iceberg Lake, the Snowball Lakes, Cold Lake, Avalanche Lake, and my personal favorite, Froze-to-Death Lake. In fact, be ready to suffer if you take some of the well traveled paths (i.e. Black Canyon Lake in the Beartooths. Along the west end of the lake is a wall of willow branches and thorns, which will tear at you, and mock your attempt to push past this tangled mess. Our goal was to down climb as much as possible, but had brought a 70 meter rope to rappel with if necessary. Since the road to the campground was still open today, went up to take a look. Impressive as this may be, the krummholz maze presents a formidable barrier. Cross the outlet stream here, and head downhill through the marsh, around the willows on the north side of the creek. From there, you can easily cross on a logjam, or cross the creek on some of the rocks in the creek. 6200 ft gain It’s a 10 mile hike that gains over 3,000 feet to get to Avalanche Lake, but you’ll be glad you made the journey. Beartooths A friend of mine in Columbus, Montana has been after me to join him on a trip into the Beartooths to check out some lakes that are on his personal list of "yet-to-be-fished" water. We're committed to building a better, more inclusive home for the modern outdoors. Recreation / outdoor near Nye fails, cairns have been placed along trail... 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