Our warm-up hike out to Twin Lakes got us itching for more outdoors action. Fortunately the nasty weather forecast for the weekend was postponed and we hastily got a plan together for camping and hiking.
Mission Mountain Wilderness (Flathead National Forest)
Glacier Creek Trail #690 presented nice options for a hike the next day and we decided camp at the trailhead for an early morning start. There wasn’t much information about dispersed camping options along the Kraft Creek Rd (trail access road) so we leaned on our experiences from Colorado and assumed we’d find a spot leading up to the trailhead.
Our instincts were correct and we found a gem on Kraft Creek Rd just past mile marker 3 and set up shop.
The best way to look for an appropriate dispersed camping site is if there’s a fire ring present that’s previously been set up by other campers. Leave no trace is big in outdoor recreation areas and creating new fire rings is frowned upon.
As you can see this particular spot is a solid find. So much fun camping in the wilderness!
In the morning we geared up for our hike to Crescent Lake on Glacier Creek Trail which is a solid 3.5 mile climb (one way) that elevates about 1000 ft.
The trail starts with some fun creek crossings.
Yes, I made her go first…
We passed the fork in the trail leading to Glacier Lake and figured we’d hit it on the way back if we felt like it. On the ascent towards Crescent Lake we caught a gorgeous areal glimpse of Glacier Lake.
We took in the scene and were absolutely going to be stopping by there on the way down.
Countless switchbacks and endless huckleberry fields later, we arrived at Crescent Lake.
Crescent Lake
We plopped down for lunch and did some exploring before heading back down towards Glacier Lake.
Glacier Lake
Even as we were both nearing our threshold for the day, the extra half mile (out and back) to Glacier Lake was worth it.
Local Fun
Living on our hilltop in Big Arm overlooking Flathead Lake provides a ton of outdoor action at our doorstep. Combine that with the long days (it doesn’t get dark till 10 PM), well, we’ve been taking advantage.
First thing we did was break out the new blow-up paddle boards (SUP boards).
It was perfect on Flathead Lake for our first go.
I also – begrudgingly – accepted Amy’s challenge to bike down to the lake and back. Biking the 3 miles down to the lake is a breeze.
The way home is pretty rough with around 600 ft of elevation, but gotta keep in shape!
Afternoon walks and drives exploring our “neighborhood” also tend to be eventful.
We had some words with the local cattle.
And found a ranch named specifically for Amy 🙂
For our social fix, we had a night out in Whitefish with pre dinner fun at Whitefish Hand Crafted Spirits.
Followed by a solid meal in Latitude 48’s Red Room where MT native, Dan Dubuque was jamming out.
We are gonna get as much of Montana in these next months as humanly possible.