MontanaHikes.com
Campfire Lake is a beautiful mountain lake nestled below dramatic mountain ridgelines near the center of the Crazy Mountains. Trailheads on both the east and west sides of the Crazy Mountains offer options for climbing to the lake. The hike is 7 – 13 miles one-way depending on the route you choose.
2023 Update – Following the historic flood of 2022, the Stillwater River Trail parking area and trailhead are closed. The trail itself is closed through the Gorge section but the bypass trail can be used to access the trail past the gorge.
The Stillwater River trail provides great hiking into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. While the trail leads to amazing riches for backpackers, there is a very popular day hike to Sioux Charley Lake. It’s a 3-mile hike on a good trail that climbs gradually for the entire distance. The trail includes a narrow gorge with raging whitewater, great mountain views, and a stream that becomes a wide, flat lake.
Mill Creek is the largest tributary to the Yellowstone River between Livingston, MT and Yellowstone Park. It’s one of the few places where roads penetrate into the national forest and there are lots of trails to enjoy. The East Fork of Mill Creek trailhead provides access to a major trail system in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness.
Beartooth Lake is a spectacular high-mountain lake located along the famous Beartooth Highway (U.S. Hwy 212). The lake is a popular destination that offers fishing, boating, camping, hiking, and backpacking in a pristine alpine setting. Beartooth Lake is immediately adjacent to Hwy 212 which is both good and bad because it makes access very easy but it also promotes heavy use.
Island Lake is a beautiful high-mountain lake on the Beartooth Plateau in Wyoming. It’s easily accessed from the Beartooth Highway (US 212) and is just a few miles west of the Beartooth Pass. Sitting at 9,518′ elevation, Island Lake covers 146 acres to a maximum depth of about 100ft. Island Lake is a very popular recreation area with a US Forest Service campground, a boat ramp and beach area, and a trailhead that is popular with hikers and backpackers.
Cascade Creek Campground is located on the West Fork Rock Creek about 11 miles west of Red Lodge, MT. Nestled in the Beartooth Mountains at 7,600 ft, Cascade Creek Campground features great hiking, fishing, and mountain biking opportunities.
The Blacktail Creek Trail (trail #337) is a short trail in the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. It connects the Davis Creek Trail (trail #38) in the West Boulder River drainage to the North Fork Deep Creek Trail (trail #45) in the Yellowstone River drainage and the Elephanthead Mountain trail (trail #37) in the Mission Creek Drainage. Along the way, it connects to the trail to Blacktail Lake (trail #105).
The Davis Creek trail (trail #38) runs into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness from the West Boulder River. It travels about 9 miles to the top of the Davis Creek Divide where it connects with the South Fork Deep Creek Trail (trail #388). Along the way, it intersects the Blacktail Creek Trail (trail #337) which leads to Blacktail Lake and continues on to join several other trails.
Blacktail Lake is a small mountain lake nestled in the Absaroka Mountains near Livingston, MT. The lake is 4.2 acres and sits at 8,750 ft elevation. It’s used by day hikers, backpackers, and horse packers. While Blacktail Lake is the only lake in the West Boulder drainage that has a trail to it, it can be reached using three different trails that are in three different drainages.
The North Fork Deep Creek Trail (Forest Service Trail #45) takes hikers into the Absaroka Mountains near Livingston, MT. The trail climbs into the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness for about 5.5 miles, ascending about 3,500 ft in that distance. The trail ends at an intersection with the Elephanthead Mountain Trail (trail #37) and the Blacktail Creek trail (trail #337).