Hiking to Mystic Lake in Montana
Finally, we made it to Montana! We had heard so many good things about Montana and its rugged and wild beauty. We were so excited to finally get out and experience it for ourselves. On our way back from our road trip to Nebraska and South Dakota we entered into Montana from the southeastern side of the state.
Our very first day in Montana, we sat out with our hand painted longboards in the city of Billings. We met a lot of friendly people, the community was supportive of what we do, and we got lots of honks and waves! And we got to check out the Billings Skatepark!
From Billings, we drove south on the 212 past Red Lodge. We drove through the narrowing canyon through towering mountainsides before turning onto Main Fork Rock Creek Road. This area is a popular for dispersed camping with numerous pullouts just off of Rock Creek. There are so many great camp spots to choose from as well as access to various recreation opportunities in the area. Check out more about camping near Red Lodge here.
Once we were settled in, it was time to plan an adventure in the surrounding mountains. For our first backpacking adventure in Montana, at the suggestion of several locals, we chose the more popular hike to Mystic Lake and Island Lake.
Trip Details
Directions: From Fishtail, drive one mile south on Highway 419 and then turn left onto West Rosebud Road. Follow this road for about 6.5 miles and turn left at the sign for Mystic Lake. Follow this gravel road for about 14 miles and you will arrive at the Mystic Lake Trailhead parking area.
Distance: 10.5 miles roundtrip
Difficulty: Moderate; there is one rocky area of climbing switchbacks
Trailhead Facilities: vault toilets
Our Experience Hiking to Mystic Lake
We packed up for a one night backpacking trip and headed out on our hike to Mystic Lake. From our camp spot near Rock Creek we ran into a problem with our directions. We tried to access West Rosebud Road from Roscoe but couldn’t find anything marked with that name so we stopped and asked someone. They directed us further north to Fishtail where we were able to pick up West Rosebud Road.
This road was very bumpy and had washboard conditions but it was also very scenic! Eventually we passed a few lakes before arriving at Mystic Lake trailhead parking area. By this time the clouds were rolling in and the sky was looking gray. But we geared up and hit the trail!
The trail started by passing through homes and buildings associated with the hydroelectricity company. It then became more rocky as it leads into a narrowing canyon.
The trail paralleled the rushing West Rosebud Creek, passed several fishing holes, crossed a couple bridges, entered a wooded area with power lines over your head and then finally leads you to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness Area. Here the surrounding landscape is beautiful with tall granite walls and sharp peaks.
The trail starts ascending and becomes more rocky, then it turns into switchbacks on the rocky side of the mountain. Once at the top of the switchbacks, the views are incredible and Mystic Lake looks gorgeous!
More switchbacks lead you down from the overlook to the lakeside. There were quite a few people hiking to Mystic Lake and taking advantage of the fishing opportunities here. We continued on along the lakeside trail to about the five mile mark.
It started to rain so we picked a campsite in the woods and set up camp in an attempt to keep the amount of wet gear to a minimum. The amount of people on the trail really thinned out after about a half mile from where the switchbacks met Mystic Lake. The rain didn’t last too long but we decided to stick with our spot for the night.
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The next morning after hiking to Mystic Lake we packed up a day bag and hiked around a mile to the next lake, Island Lake.
It was beautiful and majestic. The water was clear, the scenery was amazing, we had total solitude and there was a cute sandy beach on the shoreline! We decided to spend the day at the beach in the mountains.
From the trail to Island Lake it is possible to continue on the trail to Silver Lake where you’ll find even more solitude. But we opted for the beach on Island Lake that was calling our names. After we swam, built a sand castle and soaked in the scenery we headed back to our spot.
We did some wandering around and exploring of the area and streams nearby. Then we hung out and played games around the fire.
The next morning was Shane’s birthday! Waking up in the woods was a great start to the day. We packed up, hiked back and headed home to make birthday dinner and Oreo cake!
Hiking to Mystic Lake was a beautiful and relaxing introduction to the mountains in Montana! And as always, we’re already looking forward to our next adventure. Check out some of our other adventures below!
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