Trout Lake Hike

Trout Lake is a tough hike up and over a ridge to the next valley over. It's one in a string of "paternoster" lakes. The lake has a natural log bridge, which makes it a great spot for bears to fish. It's a place with a historically dense population of grizzly bears, and the site of one of the two "Night of the Grizzly" attacks in the 1960s.

While it was a long hike and killer on my already sore legs, my friend Sam and I really enjoyed the views we got as we dropped down into the valley and picnic-ed on the lake shore. I ate my weight in huckleberries, which was fantastic as well.

Numa Lookout Hike

I took the hike up to Numa Ridge on a beautiful summer day. This 10 mile hike was a bit of a killer, since the entire hike up to the fire lookout tower is uphill. I enjoyed picking tons of huckleberries along the way. I felt sore, but extremely at peace as I enjoyed my lunch at the base of the lookout tower, which was in active use that day.

The views were stunning, from the sweeping vistas, to the details, like this beetle damaged log.

Backpacking the Belly River

I spent the weekend surrounding my birthday backpacking in the Belly River region of the park. It was the most beautiful trip I've taken. The hiking was gorgeous, the trails well maintained, and the wildlife... abundant. Saw 3 black bears and 1 grizzly bear, and a plethora of other animals during our trip.

We spent the first night at Cosley Lake, and the second at the Elizabeth Lake Foot. Both gorgeous campgrounds with incredible scenery. As we hiked out, we were both looking forward to hot meals and showers, but sad to be leaving such a beautiful place.

Rocky Point Trail