Conditions are updated frequently and change nearly daily...
These are just some generals we know for sure.
Sept 4, 2026.
Weather system moving in for the weekend for Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend. High winds expected for the high elevations. Expect colder temps, rain and thundershowers, possible snow above 10,000 ft on Sunday, Monday Tuesday. Be prepared for any weather!
Last week's storm brought snow and ice at elevations above 9500ft, so some may still be sticking around. The Beartooth Highway did not close due to snow and remains open, but be prepared for changing road conditions as storms roll through.
Red Lodge Fun Run for Charities is this Saturday Sept 5. Support your non profits that put in serious work on our local trails - Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation and Beartooth Trails.
The Forest Service has an awesome weather website, so use the QR Code or click the green link in the info below - scroll down to the link. Detailed weather for our area campgrounds and trails.. Thanks for the Forest Service for sharing this with us!
Both Sundance Pass and The Beaten Path are going to be busy this weekend with hikers.. be courteous, don't crowd over full parking lots, pick up trash when you find it, and make sure you are camped 200ft from any lakes.
Reminder to Backpackers:
**No camping within 200ft of a lake shore, 100ft of a stream. Multiple illegal campfire rings have been torn down on lake shores such as Lost Lake, Elk Lake, Keyser Brown Lake, Rainbow Lake and Rimrock Lake recently.
Also Reminder to Backpackers: Have a plan for a proper food storage system. Bears have been getting into camps and getting into food not properly stored. Bear kegs are your best bet, Ursacks with OPSak odor proof liners and properly tied and hung high in a tree, or last resort is a proper food bag hang of 12 feet up and 4 feet out. If a campsite looks recently used and possible food scraps or garbage on the ground, pick a different site to camp.
**Before you hit the trail, make one important stop: the restroom. There are no restrooms or outhouses in the backcountry, even at popular destinations like Mystic Lake or Elk Lake.
If nature calls while you're out hiking, be prepared. Bring a WAG (Waste Alleviation and Gelling) bag or know how to properly dispose of human waste. If you don't have a WAG bag:
Go at least 200 feet from water, trails, and campsites.
Dig a hole at least 6 inches deep.
Cover the waste and disguise the area.
Pack out your toilet paper and hygiene products, including diapers.
Sylvan Peak is now offering bear spray rentals, in partnership with Bear Aware network in the Yellowstone area. Rentals can be picked up during our business hours, or dropped off in the drop box 24 hours a day. Online reservations available, or stop in and let us help you!
QUICK UPDATES/ ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Summer Hours are 7AM to 7PM every day through Labor Day. Fall Hours start 9/08 - 9am to 6pm
RED LODGE MOUNTAIN
Sept 5 - Huck around Disc Golf Tournament! All ages and abilities! See website for more information!
The last weekend for summertime Lift Service is this weekend.
Bears have been commonly seen on the trails, so pack bear spray.
Summer is cooler in the mountains! Purchase your summer lift tickets and enjoy breathtaking scenic lift rides, hiking through wildflower meadows and cool forested trails, and test your skills on our new 18-hole disc golf course, one of the highest in the state!
Silver Run Trails:
Very busy trail system with locals and visitors alike. Be courteous with other dog owners, pick up poop, carry bear spray. Both black bear and grizzly have been seen. Moose are also a very common sight.
Forest Service and Beartooth Trails are working on a re-route of the top steep section to the plateau, with new switchbacks. Very little water on the plateau except for a few little snowfield sink holes of melted snow.
West Fork/Sundance Pass: The trail to Quinnebaugh will be good hiking to the meadows, the creek crossing in the meadow is good to get across by hopping the rocks. Moose and Porcupines have been common in the meadows.. keep dogs under control! Sundance pass is snow free.. Make sure to stay on the trail and not cut the switchbacks - some serious erosion is happening on the trail due to this.
Basin Lakes Trail: Trail to both lakes is in good shape, Lots of bear sign - torn up tree stumps, rolled over big rocks etc...
Timberline Lake : Trail is good to Timberline. Creeks are dropping and water levels are lower.
Nichols Creek Trails:
Upper Nichols mostly dry, with a little mud on the trails. Daily bear sightings, so be aware and keep control of your dogs.
Palisades Trail:
This is a multi use trail, so expect Mountain Bikes, Horses, hikers, runners Bears have been seen often here lately. There is a momma grizzly and two cubs plus a couple of different black bears seen frequently
Lake Fork Trail/ Sundance Pass:
Bear activity - keep a very clean camp. Lake Fork side of the switchbacks are getting very hammered with erosion - please do not cut the switchbacks and add to this problem. Keyser Brown lake has been very popular with campers this summer, and is seeing some garbage, fire rings, and food not stored properly, so be aware of bears in your camp, thanks to your previously messy campers!
Beartooth Highway Hiking Island Lake Beartooth Lake:
Creek crossings dropping, but some are still fast and cold at Island Lake, Beartooth Lake, Line Lake.
A few mosquitos still, believe it or not, and black flies.
Momma Griz and cubs have been frequently seen around Island Lake area in the last week.
Carry bear spray, keep camps super clean, and correct food storage is a must. Keep dogs in control or on leashes...
Granite Peak: The mountain is very busy with climbers - please be respectful of other groups, wear a helmet for the rockfall from above you, make sure you have all of your own gear to be self sufficient -watch weather conditions and wind speeds this weekend. Snow and ice expected for Sunday Monday Tuesday - low temps in the 20s.
Last weeks Search Mission ended with finding the missing climber deceased who had taken a long fall. This climber was solo, and sadly wasn't completely prepared for the intensity of climbing in an Alpine situation. Please be aware of your fellow climbers, and make sure you are well researched and prepared. Its so sad when unfortunate things like this happen ...
Froze To Death Plateau is mostly free of snow, goats are there in force. Water sources up high on the plateau are very tough to find now. Snow bridge is not difficult to cross with proper equipment, very little snow on the upper sections. SW Route is still wet with creek crossings and some snow and ice holding. Crampons, Ice Axe type tools and knowledge of use would be best.
Use WAG Bags! The high alpine regions cannot decomposed human poop, plus being almost impossible to dig a proper poop hole. Use WAG bags, carry out your poop and TP.
Beartrack Trail:
Momma bear and Cubs have been seen frequently lately...
Trail is usually pretty warm this time of year, so pack plenty of water. Only water source is the first two little creeks.
Glacier Lake Road:
Gate is open to the trailhead . No snow into the lake.
If camping in dispersed sights along Glacier Lake road - PLEASE PUT YOUR FIRES OUT! SOGGY AND COLD TO TOUCH BEFORE LEAVING THEM.
Moon Lake is snow and ice free - Shelf Lake is free of ice and snow
Hellroaring road is is good condition and passable by vehicle to the new bridges. There is room for about 4 or 5 vehicles to park at the new bridge area. Road beyond the bridges is very rough, only high clearance 4WD vehicles! Make sure your vehicle can handle the last section of this road, and pack your own flat repair! Its a long recovery for a tow truck...........
East Rosebud/ Beaten Path
Road is good to the lake. Lots of construction vehicles on the road to the Lake - the big bridge about 2 miles before the Lake is being rebuilt after the flood.
Parking at the East Rosebud trailhead on busy weekends can be a problem. Do not park in the campground, and do not park on the grass around the parking lot - as this is most likely someone's yarHiking to Elk Lake is in good shape with a few small creek crossings, and the trail to Rimrock and the new bridge is a brand new beautifully redesigned blasted trail through all the rocks. The USFS dedicated trail crew staff led by Allie and Adam spent literally tons of hours and tons of dynamite to rebuild this trail after the flood. The new bridge is in place at Rimrock Lake, and the trail is busy this year with "Beaten Path" hikers. Multiple bears have been spotted on the trail to Elk, and at Elk Lake.
Grizzlies are commonly seen around Ouzel/Bald Knob area and also at Dewey. Make sure food is properly stored - bear cans are best, as there aren't always great trees for proper food bag hangs. Smell proof OpSaks in a drybag or Ursack for a bear bag hang is a minimum plan...
A human food driven bear is getting bear food bags down, ransacking camps at Dewey Lake, and another walking through camps at Rainbow lake. Make sure your camp is clean, picked up, carry a bear canister if planning to camp in this area.
Reminder - camping on lake shores is not legal, you must be 200ft away from the lake. Camping at Elk can be found to the left (west) of the lake through the little meadow and up in the trees. Try to stay clear of camping in the Meadow at Rainbow - it just recovered from over use during pre-flood years, and lets keep it beautiful. The one "campsite" at Rimrock right on the lakeshore is not a legal campsite........
ABWF has a full time trail ambassador at the East Rosebud Lake Trailhead. Please check in with them before starting your hike..
Please be aware of Private lands surrounding East Rosebud Lake - The boat ramp area is accessible by walking your boats in to launch, and then parking in the large parking area. The boat ramp area is private land (public access by permission from landowners) and the parking lot is Forest Service.
Red Lodge Creek Trail:
Trail is in good shape, creek crossings are dropping and do able by hopping the rocks. Grizzly bear use area.
Mystic Lake/ West Rosebud:
Trail is in good shape to Mystic. Creek crossings are dropping but still a lot of water, Island Lake crossing is do able since the Log Jam blew out in the big flood, so now it’s a knee deep wade across the outlet of Island Lake. Huckleberry creek has a brand new bridge as of last week, along with the little creeks around Huckleberry.
Mystic Lake has been hit hard with campers this summer, and unfortunately many have left messes like human poop, trash, structures and things built out of logs, lots of illegally placed fire rings. Please pick up after yourselves and others.. There is no magical fairy that picks up your mess, and it draws the bears in for sure.
Trail with all the switchbacks to Froze To Death Plateau is in good shape - no snow. Lots of activity with Granite Peak climbers...
Maurice Creek, -
Maurice Creek trail is open after the fire closure. Be aware of burned areas and standing dead trees.
Corral Creek
trail is open, and good to go as trees have been cut out all the way to the plateau.
Face of the Mountain
- Trail is open after the fire closure, and trail crews have been at work cutting and clearing trees. Trail is in good shape. Not a ton of bear sign, but be bear aware...
Sioux Charley - Trail to the lake is in great shape. The gorge section is closed still from flood damage, but cut across trail is in good shape. You may hear blasting from the trail crews at work on repairing the trail here.
Clarks Fork Canyon - very warm on the sunny days!
Elk Basin - Dry warm mountain biking, hiking and trail running. Carry lots of water!
Dead Indian Trail - Sunlight Basin - doable for longer hiking but very very hot on hot days. Carry bear spray
WeatherMan Draw/ Pryors: Some great fall hiking - watch conditions and avoid these areas after rain as the mud turns to gumbo and cars get stuck quickly... Very very hot on hot days. Carry lots of water
Beartooth Ranger District:
Please call the Beartooth Ranger District at 406-446-2103 or stop by the office in Red Lodge 8am to 4:30 pm weekdays with questions.
Give us a call at (406) 446-1770 if you're looking for a more current or specific trail report!
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If you would like a more detailed weekly report Please Sign up for Emailed Trail conditions by Filling out the form below.