Hike to Pine Creek Lake

The trailhead for this beautiful 11.5 mile out-and-back is located south of Livingston, Montana. Head south along HWY-89 towards Gardiner for about 5 miles, then turn left onto HWY-540. Keep heading south for about 8 more miles until passing through the small town of Pine Creek where the historic Pine Creek Lodge is featured on the roadside. Once past the lodge, look for Luccock Park Road on the left. Take this road 3 miles up to the Pine Creek Lake Trailhead and Camping 

Although busy, the parking lot is large enough to accommodate crowds in the summer season. Don't be discouraged by the business at the trailhead, most people turn around at Pine Creek Falls about a mile in.

The trail starts deceivingly flat and easy in the beginning. After the falls, the trail begins it's gradual ascent with moderate switchbacks for another few miles traveling through mature forests, burned sections and includes a creek crossing.

The final section is the most dramatic, ascending sharply up a steep ravine side with strenuous trekking until it finally plateaus out near the ridge of the basin. The best time to hike the trail is subjective. The summer season between July-September provides the easiest ascent with little to zero snow. We hiked it in early June after a heavy snowfall winter and were pleased to find this last 2-mile section still heavily blanketed. We had to posthole through the final section once up and over the ridge and down into the drainage.

The views are remarkable and well worth the effort. Lichen-covered, crystal-embedded boulders are sprinkled all across a large meadow as you make your final approach to the lake. Large granite slabs comb down the north slope of Mount Black where Pine Creek Lake nestles in the picturesque glacial cirque. 

We were lucky to have the entire lake to ourselves and even more excited to see so much snow in June. The decision to pack our puffy jackets was a great one. We bundled up in all the layers we brought as the windchill came surfing over the half-frozen water.

After a delicious and well-earned picnic, some majestic snapshots and roam around the lake, we began our steep 4,000-foot descent back down to Paradise Valley.