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Post by livinzlife on Mar 1, 2019 9:44:27 GMT -8
In August, my friends and I visited the Sawtooths for 6 days with some great recommendations from people on this forum. It was by far the best backpacking trip we've had together to date. We're looking to re-create the magic this summer/fall in the Beartooths.
Here is what we felt made the Sawtooth trip so great:
Not crowded We would pass another hiker or group of hikers every so often, but for the most part, we didn't see other people. It was just us and nature.
Lakes Sawtooth had incredible lakes and this made the scenery really special
Smaller Lakes
Smaller lakes off the beaten path of the popular lakes. We really enjoyed these, and camped at them each night, basically claiming a whole mini-lake to ourselves. This was a really unique experience at Sawtooth that we never had anywhere else. Most of these little lakes were within a 10-15 minute hike off trail near larger, more popular lakes.
Reasonable Hiking Days Each day, lake to lake, we had about 8-10 miles to cover. Some days were more strenuous than others due to terrain, but this pace was really good for our group.
So... we want to plan an experience just as good in the Beartooths. 5-6 day loop, ~8-10 miles a day, lakes in route. Any suggestions?
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Post by cweston on Mar 1, 2019 11:27:38 GMT -8
Almost anywhere...
I've not hiked the Beartooths extensively, but two highlight areas IMHO are the Sierra Creek/Crystal Lake area, and the Aero Lakes/Sky Top Lakes area (which I have not visited, but people who have rave about that area as well).
The area around Crystal Lake is reachable in two quite moderate days either via the Becker/Albino/Jasper lake drainage via Donelson and Maryott lakes, or up Sierra Creek from Green Lake. You could do both approaches as a loop. I base camped at Alp Lake (below Crystal Lake), and that was a fantastic base camp location. You will see some others along either of those approaches, but both involve (easy) off-trail and there's plenty of country for everyone. (The reason I base camped at Alp instead of Crystal was that I expected--and got--solitude there.) I did two days in (via Sierra Creek), two days of basecamp at Alp Lake, and 1.5 days out via Jasper Lake (did some climbing before hiking out on day 6).
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Post by cweston on Mar 1, 2019 12:02:34 GMT -8
Here's roughly my route. Red = on trail, blue = off-trail. The trailhead (Island Lake) is off the map.
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Post by swimswithtrout on Mar 2, 2019 16:19:00 GMT -8
The Beartooth's are essentially trail-less, so all "adventures" will have be off-trail which will really slow you down. Figure 5-7 miles a day, at most, when off trail. The route finding can be exceedingly complex in places, with numurous cliffs and house sized boulers lurking just below the resolution of a 40' contour.
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Post by cweston on Mar 3, 2019 8:48:05 GMT -8
I might suggest that you explore the Beartooth Plateau, maybe start at the Island Lake or Beartooth Lake trailhead. Just to clarify for the OP, since I don’t think I mentioned it: the loop that I described above would be from either of those two THs. Also, the distinction between on-trail and off-trail is not always as meaningful as you might think. As Nick says, the plateau areas are mostly trailless, officially, but there are many use paths, and many relatively flat, treeless areas where route finding is pretty easy.
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Post by hikerjer on Mar 3, 2019 19:02:52 GMT -8
I think I have the perfect hike for you. It's pretty close to a loop with about half of it on trail and half off. Much of the off trail is in areas shown in swimswithtrout's video (which, BTW, is the definitive video on hiking in the Beartooths, IMO). The hike would take five or six days (better six) and includes pretty much every thing you mentioned in your post. Bear in mind, one big difference between Beartooths and the Sawtooths is elevation. The Beartooths are significantly higher and the weather will be more extreme and a major factor on any hike. And as swt mentioned, they are extremely rugged, especially the off trail portion.
Anyway, PM me and I can send you a detailed description of the route. They are a great mountain range to hike. Some would say the best in the country.
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Post by cweston on Mar 4, 2019 9:25:46 GMT -8
SWT, I never get tired of that video--I watch it every time you post it.
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Post by livinzlife on Mar 6, 2019 15:26:13 GMT -8
That video is outstanding! I didn't realize how much of the beartooths were trail-less, so I'll definitely keep that in mind in my planning.
Hikerjer, I sent a PM, I am very much interested in your suggested 6-day route!
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Post by johntpenca on Mar 6, 2019 17:01:05 GMT -8
Take fishing equipment, oil and a light skillet.
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Post by hikerjer on Mar 6, 2019 21:00:14 GMT -8
Hikerjer, I sent a PM, I am very much interested in your suggested 6-day route! Sent you a PM.
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Post by indytgrfan on Mar 8, 2019 7:05:16 GMT -8
I can vouch for the expertise of the Swimswithtrout, cweston, and HikerJ's expertise re: the Beartooths. Combined they convinced me to change my family's itinerary around a trip to Yellowstone and the 2 nights we spent in the backcountry starting at the Island Lake Trailhead are still much talked about in our family of 4 boys, and that is from between 6-8 years ago...more like 8.
We also took our fishing gear and had a great little meal one night... the memory is vivid.
Thanks again to the people who share their expertise on this forum!!!
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panatomicx
Trail Wise!
Less noise and more green
Posts: 496
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Post by panatomicx on Mar 28, 2019 14:59:28 GMT -8
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Post by hikeer on Sept 22, 2019 5:31:57 GMT -8
The Beartooth's are essentially trail-less, so all "adventures" will have be off-trail which will really slow you down. Figure 5-7 miles a day, at most, when off trail. The route finding can be exceedingly complex in places, with numerous cliffs and house sized boulders lurking just below the resolution of a 40' contour. For those who may be researching this forum for a first trip to the Beartooths, take the above advice to heart. Off trail areas are generally very rugged and I found that a pace of around 1 mile per hour was a pretty good average for a days hiking. Macro route finding is relatively straightforward but the micro route finding can be quite complex as noted above. You'll spend a fair amount of time just studying the area in front of you trying to decide which route to take around a lake, over a pass, etc. My daughter and I were quite distrustful of topo maps by the end of our trip. What looks easy on a topo map can be full of rocks, steep areas, snowbanks, and other time sinks. However, don't let that discourage you, the effort is well worth the rewards!
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Post by hikerjer on Sept 23, 2019 11:58:09 GMT -8
Macro route finding is relatively straightforward but the micro route finding can be quite complex as noted above That's really a good way of stating the situation.
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Post by fremontia on Jun 12, 2021 10:24:04 GMT -8
In August, my friends and I visited the Sawtooths for 6 days with some great recommendations from people on this forum. It was by far the best backpacking trip we've had together to date. Would you care to share more about this trip you took in the Sawtooths? Sounds incredible as an intro to Montana for a couple of experiences CAN backpackers
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