Photo Friday: Backpacking the Beartooths, Part 1

Way back last August, I joined a couple of friends (Craig and Alex) to do a 7-day backpack trip through the Absaroka-Beartooth wilderness on the Montana-Wyoming border (just north of Yellowstone). The landscape exceeded expectations by a wide margin, and I'll be going back.

Way back last fall I shared photos of the dayhikes I did while acclimatizing. The night before the backpack was to start, we three met up at a campground in the area, to finish packing and planning, and hit the road early. We had to set up our car shuttle (for a one-way hike) before we could start walking.

Since our exit trailhead was kind of 4WD, I wouldn't be going there, and so took my time on the drive to the put-in and enjoyed the amazing Beartooth Pass highway.

Some of the twisty bits climbing the east side of the pass.

The pass is more like a summit, and when you get there, you are definitely in the alpine, at 11,000'.

One of many scenic lakes along the west side of the pass.

 
What with all the driving, hitting the trail at 10:30 wasn't bad at all. We'd planned for that late start, with a relatively easy  6.5 mile walk (net drop 1000') to Granite Lake. Actually, it was just over six miles, but I managed to forget my water filter, which I realized a short way into the hike, so I got to do an extra quarter mile or so.

Panoramic views and rain shafts. 

We saw some wildlife in the first couple of miles.

Ptarmigan 

I was, alas, last in line and missed the best shots of the huge bull moose. Another pair were spotted shortly after, running down the mountain--no photos ops there.

I'd read that Granite Lake was a popular destination, but I think most people visit the south side. We took a much less used trail east of the lake to the north end.

Some bits of the trail were no fun, and barely deserving of the name "trail".

We eventually found what appeared to be THE camping place on the north end of the lake, and set up our tents with time to relax before dinner. As usual, I both wandered around looking for photos and took time for a bathe in the lake, however brief (given both air and water temperatures, I wasn't disposed to linger). A passing thunder shower made for an enforced rest time before dinner.

Granite Lake. Decidedly sub-alpine.

 

Typical camp set up. Three tents, as far apart as we could manage in order to minimize disturbances to each other.

Yes, my friend Petey Possum came along! He was most interested in what was for dinner.

A favorite wet-ground flower: elephant-head pedicularis. See the trunks waving around?

 

 

Day Two--Granite Lake to Jordan Lake 

Though there'd been another rain shower at bed-time the night before, we woke about six to (mostly) clear blue skies. Taking our time over breakfast and packing felt right, as none of our days would be long and we were already where we wanted to be--in the mountains.

Sunrise at Granite Lake

Not all the morning's trail was completely obvious, and we lost it here and there in mountain meadows, but the general drift was always evident and we found it again where it mattered.

 Craig and Alex crossing a meadow, possibly on the trail.

Alas, as we left Granite Lake we had to cross several strands of the inlet stream. I removed my boots to wade one, but thought I could rock-hop the next as the guys did. Suffice to say that I have shorter legs, and so got to hike in wet boots, while carrying wet water shoes--the peak of idiocy!

The trail just below Lake Elaine got very steep and rugged, again indicating that we were not on the most traveled of routes. I was to find that even the "high use" areas in this wilderness weren't overwhelmed with hikers--just the way I like it.

Petey suns himself among the drying parts of my boots.

A Second-breakfast break at Lake Elaine gave time to mostly dry the boots, or at least the insoles.
 

Lake Elaine.  We've climbed a good bit, but are still definitely sub-alpine.

From Lake Elaine we mounted another step to Farley Lake, a stiff climb that required a refueling stop ("first lunch"). Once there, we had to hunt for shelter from a stiff breeze to enjoy second lunch. Altitude was starting to take a noticeable toll on us, as we were now hauling packs uphill at close to 10,000', only a few days after leaving sea level (I recommend taking longer to adjust, but my schedule didn't permit it).
 

Looking back as we approach Farley Lake. We are nearing tree line now.

Wildflowers at Farley Lake

From Farley, we had to climb a little higher, before dropping to Jordan Lake, where we would spend the night. Here we saw our first other hikers, including a woman about my age carrying a packraft. That would be fun, but I don't think I could ever convince myself to add the 5 or 6 pounds that represents.

More wildflowers on the ridge.

Craig dropping through the flowers to Jordan Lake. We ended up not finding a campsite until the far end of the lake.

Late afternoon weather moving in over Jordan Lake.

It took some hunting to find a campsite with more or less level spots for three tents, and the right distance from the lake--at least 200' away, but not so far that we couldn't get water. As it turned out, we were probably a little too close to a tiny stream we didn't notice until after making camp, but at least that meant we didn't trample a path to the lakeshore.

Circle the wagons! I don't know about the guys, but my tent was not wildly level.

After dinner we did an exploration to a nearby cascade and found lots of flowers in the wet meadow along the stream.

 

 

A bee enjoying a DYC.

Parry's Primrose

I followed that ramble with another, longer exploration behind the hill we were parked halfway up, making it back to camp just in time, as the evening rain showers began.

It was hard to get an accurate read on the distance for the day's hike, but it was in the 6.5-mile range, with a good 1800' of climbing (and some descending), to end up at our camp at about 9700', still below treeline but not by much. This may be my favorite zone--where the trees are thinning and can be found in clumps with a lot of open space between.

I didn't get any sunset photos, thanks to the rain, so here's a teaser on the sunrise, the lake still and dark before the light really got going. 

It proved to be a beautiful sunrise. I could do a whole post just of sunrises over the lakes on this trip.

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 ©Rebecca M. Douglass, 2026 

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