Hike to Elk Lake: Another Montana Baby Boomer Adventure

Are you looking for a Montana baby boomer adventure? Hiking is one of the best ways to experience the wildness of this beautiful state. And, with trails available for every level of hiker, there’s no reason to sit on the cabin porch.

During our baby boomer adventures near Fishtail, Montana, we found several hikes in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness that offered alpine scenery without huge increases in elevation gain, making for a moderate boomer hiking experience. As an added bonus, getting to the trail-head usually included a 13 or 14-mile drive down a scenic dirt road with plenty of photo opportunities.

Such was the case when we hiked the East Rosebud Trail to Elk Lake. From Fishtail, we took a local shortcut to Roscoe, home to the Grizzly Restuarant and not much else, for the approximately 14-mile drive to Alpine and East Rosebud Lake. The scenery was so stunning that it required many photo stops, making the journey to the trail-head slow going. Of course this meant that our hike began in the late morning, partly because I lingered over my morning coffee at Mystic Rose Cabin and that porch view of the Beartooth Mountains.

We filmed a video to give our baby boomer readers an idea of what to expect:

Although we only made it as far as the waterfall area on our hike along the East Rosebud Trail, you can be sure that this part of Montana will be seeing our itchy travel feet again.

What Boomers Will See:

• An isolated community of cabins surrounding East Rosebud Lake
• Views of Montana’s highest mountain, Granite Peak
• Re-birth of a forest that was devastated by fire in 1996
• White water of East Rosebud drainage, including excellent fishing
• Waterfalls
• Alpine lakes
• Other hikers, many with dogs

Baby Boomer Travel Tips:

• Bring plenty of water
• Be prepared for changeable weather
• Pack bear spray
• Wear sunscreen
• Don’t forget the bug spray
• Hiking poles offer stability and help your posture
• Bring the camera!

We found a copy of [amazonify]1573420522::text::::Day Hikes in the Beartooth Mountains[/amazonify] on the bookshelf at Mystic Rose Cabin. Written by Robert Stone, the book gives excellent description and advice on hiking to Elk Lake and many other trails in the area. We’ll be buying our own copy for the next visit to Fishtail, Montana.

Have you hiked on East Rosebud Trail to Elk Lake? Post a comment to share your experience. Alan and I can’t wait to return for another baby boomer hiking adventure.

To see more of our photos from this adventure, visit the My Itchy Travel Feet page on Facebook. Be sure to click the like button while you’re there.

I have included an Amazon link to Day Hikes in the Beartooth Mountains for your convenience, however My Itchy Travel Feet does receive a small percentage for purchases made at Amazon.com.

West Yellowstone Vacations

You may also like -

Experience Rustic Vacation Lodging at Mystic Rose CabinMystic Lake Trail: Another Boomer Hiking AdventureSaturday's scene: Happy Hiking on National Trails Day

Tagged as: absaroka-beartooth wilderness, baby boomer, Baby boomer travel, baby boomers, beartooth mountains, boomers, east rosebud trail, elk lake, greater yellowstone ecosystem, hike, hiking, Montana, trails, travel, United States