Red Lodge, MT – The Beartooth Mountains are a region we have wanted to explore. During the first week of August, we stayed in Red Lodge, Montana at the Red Lodge KOA and spent three days hiking in the Beartooths. We used Robert Stone’s Day Hikes in the Beartooth Mountains to select our hikes. The back cover of his books describes the region: “Fantastic hiking for every level of experience! The beautiful Beartooth Mountains rise dramatically from the tawny plains of south-central Montana and stretch to the northern reaches of Yellowstone National Park. These day hikes include wooded canyons, valleys enclosed by snow-capped peaks, waterfalls, creeks, alpine plateaus, and stunning mountain panoramas. Hikes range from treks across 10,000 foot alpine tundra in remote wilderness to gentle trails along the Yellowstone River as it stretches through broad valleys. Trails are located within 120 miles of Red Lodge and include Billings, the Beartooth Highway, Boulder Valley, Paradise Valley, and the north end of Yellowstone.” We also used a Map of the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness to find trailheads and keep our bearings.
We completed the three hikes described below and plan to return for a longer trip in the future for further hiking and exploration. The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness is surrounded by Custer and Gallatin National Forests and Yellowstone National Park. The National Forests have many OHV roads, campgrounds and offer dispersed camping. While in the region, we recommend driving the Beartooth Highway also known as Hwy 212 between Red Lodge and Yellowstone. We really enjoyed visiting Red Lodge, Cooke City, and Silver Gate. We also spent an afternoon driving through Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley, where we watched Bison rut and spotted two badgers.
Bison resting in Lamar Valley, Yellowstone National Park
A badger checks out the line of cars
These two badgers were quite amorous
Hellroaring Plateau Trail
This was our favorite hike of the three we did in this area. Hellroaring Plateau Trail is a six mile round trip which gains about 600 feet. This top of the world hike across alpine tundra is located at over 10,000 feet elevation and provides panoramic views of the surrounding Beartooth Mountains.
This alpine hike is located in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
Mike on the trail across the tundra
The road to the trailhead is described in Stone’s book as an old mining road that is “steep, rough, winding, and narrow” and this could not be more accurate. To get to the trailhead, head 11.5 miles south of Red Lodge on Highway 212 to the signed Rock Creek Road turnoff on the right. Travel about 0.9 miles to the Glacier Lake/ Hellroaring Plateau road split. Take the right fork onto Hellroaring Plateau Road for 5.8 miles to the trailhead parking area at the road’s end. We traveled this road in our Jeep. We saw ATV’s, motorcycles, pick-up trucks and SUV’s. While you may be able to make it in a passenger car, I do not recommend taking your car on this road.
The Hellroaring Plateau Road
The trail travels across alpine to a snowfield and provides views of a basin with 11 lakes. The trail drops down to the lakes past the snowfield.This trail is located within the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness. There were many ground squirrels and alpine flowers. If you can get to the trailhead, we highly recommend this hike.
Some of the lakes visible from the trail
The snowfield and views from the trail
Some wild flowers along the trail
More flowers along the trail
Stunning top of the world view along the Hellroaring Plateau Trail
Kersey Lake Trail
This trailhead is located 61 miles south of Red Lodge or 3.5 miles east of Cooke City, across from the Chief Joseph Campground. The trailhead is labelled “Clarks Fork Trailhead”, which also starts from the same location. The Kersey Lake Trail is a 3.0 mile out and back which gains several hundred feet of elevation. The trail quickly travels a bridge over the Clarks Fork Canyon. The trail climbs over a rocky stretch and then travels through forest of Lodgepole pine and spruce before reaching Kersey Lake.
Author approaches the bridge over the canyon
View of the gorge from the bridge
Along the trail to Kersey Lake
Mike spotted this wild asparagus along the trail
If you want to hike further, you can travel to Vernon Lake, whose trail takes off from Kersey Lake to the right at a signed junction or continue past Kersey Lake on the trail which becomes the Beaten Path Trail. From the Beaten Path Trail, you can also travel to Rock Island Lake.
Kersey Lake
Another view of Kersey Lake
Highline Trail Lakes and Wyoming Creek
Located 24 miles south of Red Lodge off of Highway 212, the Highline Trail Lakes on the Line Creek Plateau is a 4 mile roundtrip hike which gains about 800 feet in total. The trailhead turnoff is a half mile north of the Montana-Wyoming state line. It is a left turn heading south from Red Lodge and has a good size parking area. This is also an alpine hike which travels past lakes and the scenic Wyoming Creek. The trail is easy to follow.
We spottes this dragonfly on our spare tire when we were loading our backpacks
Fog on the Highline Trail in the Beartooth Mountains
On the day we hiked this trail, it was foggy when we started. The temperature hovered in the low 40’s throughout our hike. We couldn’t see any of the lakes until we got much closer to them. Throughout our hike the visibility improved. There were snowfields, one of which the trail crossed. There were also plenty of wild flowers. As we were returning, the fog rolled back in. We enjoyed the otherworldly feeling the fog provided. This trail had a couple of water crossings and traveled through some very wet areas.
Fog rolling across our trail
Lakes on the Highline Trail
Author stands next to the edge of a snowfield on August 6
Wyoming Creek
Flowers and snowfields on the Highline Trail
Another view from the trail
