St. Regis Lakes, Superior, Montana
We are all living in cages with the door wide open. George Lucas
St. Regis Lakes Trail, in the Lolo National Forest, behind Lookout Mountain, on the Idaho/Montana border, is hike 29 in 100 Hikes in the Inland Northwest. “The hike is easy, except for the fairly steep last 0.5 mile up to the main St. Regis Lake. The round-trip distance can be shortened to about 4 miles if you want to drive as far as possible…The trail drops down, crosses the creek (no bridge), and continues 0.8 mile to the base of a headwall. From here the trail climbs with a couple of switchbacks for 0.5 mile to the main lake. The lake is brushy, with only a couple of campsites on the north shore. The upper lake is small and boggy. The main lake holds hungry brook trout. The lakes and river were named by Father Peter DeSmet in 1842 for St. Regis de Borgia, another Jesuit Priest.”
The road to the trailhead isn’t ideal. It was me, LL, and MR in the iconic minivan lovingly called Bruce by anyone who has been lucky enough to adventure with him. He did get us to the trailhead after being given a second chance and loads of encouragement. The trail itself was easier than the road, an easy walk to to typically pretty alpine lake. We stopped to have lunch on some beached timber and laugh while MR attempted the poorly hung rope swing we found on the shore.
—-A reservation I had at Up Up Mountain Lookout, in the Bitterroot Mountains and Lolo National Forest, St. Regis, Montana, was why we explored St. Regis Lakes. After some mapping missteps to get to an unlocked gate to drive up the mountain to the lookout, we had an incredible night of sharing space with mice, learning to pee off a 40-foot tower, laughing, and taking a thousand photos. This lookout is one where you drive almost all the way to it, with only the smallest climb to get to the steps. An established outhouse is nearby and space for additional tent camping if you have a large group.
—-Garden of the Thousand Buddhas, a Buddhist Temple in Lake County, Montana, was our last adventure on the Up Up Lookout trip.
The Garden of One Thousand Buddhas, meant to represent the 1000 Buddhas that it is believed will actually be born in our religious age, was born from the vision of Gochen Tulku Sang-ngag Rinpoche who purchased the property and set his plan into motion.
After approval from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribe and with the participation of volunteers from the community to cast the Buddhas, all one thousand were finally completed in 2016.
Other adventures in the St. Regis, Montana Area
—Lookout Pass Ski & Recreation Area, Wallace, Idaho, is near St. Regis Lakes, as mentioned. It sits on the border of Idaho and Montana.
—Route of the Hiawatha is a popular activity based out of Lookout Pass during the summer. It is a section of the Trail of the Coeur d’Alenes, a Rails to Trails project, that has trestles and tunnels through the Bitterroot Mountains. “The ‘Crown Jewel’ of rail-to-trail adventures: The Route of the Hiawatha – Scenic mountain bike or hike trail is 15 miles long with 10 large and dark train tunnels (Nine that you ride your bike thru.) and 7 sky-high trestles. The ride starts with a trip through the 1.661 mile long St. Paul Pass Tunnel, also known as the Taft Tunnel. It is a highlight of the trail that follows the crest of the Bitterroot Mountains near Lookout Pass Ski Area. The best part is…. it’s mostly downhill with shuttle buses available to transport you and your bike back to the top. This family-friendly trail is easily enjoyed by a wide variety of people from young children to super seniors.”
—-Big Creek Baldy Peak Lookout, Purcell Range of the Rocky Mountains, near Libby, Montana. Barbarian Scientist had surprised me with a reservation to stay at this lookout but was unable to join me, so I was happily on a solo trip. This is also a lookout that you can drive to the base of. That is, as long as the rangers give you the correct code for the lock at the gate. So, I did end up having to backpack about a mile from the gate to the lookout, only to discover that the code was also incorrect for the lookout. I lingered to catch this epic sunset and then headed back to Idaho.
—-Big Hole Peak Lookout, near Thompson Falls, Montana, is one of my favorite lookout trips and was Barbarian Scientist’s first backpacking trip! It is approximately a 6-mile round-trip hike with 1,500’eg. It was a weekend we had alone and my being sick was rapidly becoming routine, but I still needed to explore, so this is what we chose – it was epic. The weather began at nearly 100 degrees and rapidly dropped 50 degrees to bring a storm right on top of us at the peak. Before that, though, we met the archaeologist in charge of restoring this lookout and got a tour and history of the lookout and surrounding mountains. Watching two scientists chat with so much respect and curiosity about their respective specialties while sitting on the top of a mountain was an unforgettable experience.
This last weekend I had reservations at a yurt in St. Regis, but some crisis made the host divert our yurt plans to a cabin getaway. We spent the weekend on the border of Cabin City in the Lolo National Forest. Barbarian Scientist put his all into making a Thai stir-fry that you could smell throughout the forest while a woodpecker was waging war on some part of the exterior. Although I had to lug my garbage body with me, it was a gift to be away, in the forest, in the snow, eating excellent food, laughing, and doing loads of sleeping.
Mountains. No matter how I scale them, they are grounding yet elevating, intoxicating yet soothing, wild yet serene; they keep us on edge yet keep us wrapped in safety. I hope I always hear their call. This is the last hike from the main 100 that I have completed in 100 Hikes. There are a handful of trails from the appendix that I have traveled and will still write about. I am currently enduring constant doctor appointments while also trying to figure out how to be a whole person while under an umbrella of pain and discouragement and also complete an April adventure challenge and and and and and and and. Sigh.