On Sunday I hiked up to Glen Lake.
Glen Lake is located between Victor and Stevensville in the Bitterroot Valley. More precisely, it’s in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, which is more than 1.3 million acres of roadless forest area along the Montana-Idaho border. The area was created in 1964 with the Wilderness Act and is one of the largest wilderness area in the country.
Glen Lake is located between Victor and Stevensville in the Bitterroot Valley. More precisely, it’s in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, which is more than 1.3 million acres of roadless forest area along the Montana-Idaho border. The area was created in 1964 with the Wilderness Act and is one of the largest wilderness area in the country.
Map of Glen Lake Area in Montana
Glen Lake is just one of many lakes in the area. Wikipedia lists 126 lakes in Ravalli County. Many of them are high alpine lakes like Glen Lake, formed eons ago by glaciers and now collecting rainwater and runoff.
You can find some Glen Lake images on this Summit Post article about Glen Lake and another one on the site that shows Hidden Lake. You can also find a bit of information on the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness here.
For now, let’s get into some pictures I took.
You can find some Glen Lake images on this Summit Post article about Glen Lake and another one on the site that shows Hidden Lake. You can also find a bit of information on the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness here.
For now, let’s get into some pictures I took.
You turn off Highway 93 at Bell Crossing and steadily climb higher and higher up some old forest roads.
Views of the Bitterroot Valley open up before you.
The roads up to Glen Lake are windy and narrow, with steep drop-offs on one side.
This is what the Glen Lake Trailhead looks like.
Burned forest Near Glen Lake
The reason things are burned so badly and every thing looks dead is because of the 2006 Gash Creek fire. It plunged through the area on August 24 and eventually burned 8,500 acres. The view from the valley floor was spectacular, with the fire trapped in the glacial cirque and shooting forth flames like a volcano would spew forth lava.
Reminders of the 2006 Gash Creek Fire
Most fires jump about and leave little pockets of green. Also, there's a small stream that runs through here from the lakes up above.
You'll see a lot of these warped trees. This happens when the fire rushes through here. They remind me a lot of hornet's nests.
The higher you get, the more the views open up.
Gnash Point in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness on the way up to Glen Lake
The trail marker
This is looking north, toward another peak
When you get here, you're getting very close to Glen Lake. The lake is just on the other side of that green hill on the right
You'll probably be as ready for the lake and surprised it pops out at you as I was
Glen Lake
Montana's Glen Lake
Glen Lake looking south
Middle section of Glen Lake. You can't walk all the way around the lake because of that steep side there.
Northern half of Glen lake
I would suggest taking some lunch after the long hike of 5 miles, most of it uphill.
Most people don’t go past Glen Lake, and I didn’t either. The reason is simple – the trail is terrible, as in you can’t see it. But honestly, you don’t need it because you can follow that small brook up to its source, which is Hidden Lake.
Trail to Hidden Lake, above and 2 miles on from Glen Lake
Just follow this brook - you'll get to the upper lakes, located two miles further on.
What a lot of people don’t realize is that Hidden Lake is in fact two lakes. They look like one on maps, but they’re separated by a couple dozen feet and connected only by a small stream.
The lakes, as well as Glen Lake, are surrounded by rock pinnacles, which are called gendarmes. The top of these rocks are called arêtes, which means a sharp mountain ridge. They look like jagged teeth, perhaps the kind you’d see on an old and rusted saw.
A 2012 blog called Montana Bushcraft and Country Living has a lot of great images of Glen Lake, plus some images of Hidden Lake.
The lakes, as well as Glen Lake, are surrounded by rock pinnacles, which are called gendarmes. The top of these rocks are called arêtes, which means a sharp mountain ridge. They look like jagged teeth, perhaps the kind you’d see on an old and rusted saw.
A 2012 blog called Montana Bushcraft and Country Living has a lot of great images of Glen Lake, plus some images of Hidden Lake.
Montana's Hidden Lake above Glen Lake (click for link)
I spent $0 on Sunday and just a little gas. I left Missoula at 2 PM, got to the trailhead at about 3:15, and was at Glen Lake itself around 4:30. I was back at my car at 5:30 and then back in Missoula at 7 PM.
What are you waiting for? Get out and explore Montana!
What are you waiting for? Get out and explore Montana!
