Category: Backpacking + Camping

winter camping + day hike in the bitterroot. feb 2023.

4/9/2023

Winter camping can be more challenging than the other seasons of the year, but I've discovered it can still be a lot of fun when the weather isn't too severe and you go prepared for cold weather and with the right mindset for it. :)

I'd been planning to get out earlier this winter, but for one reason or another, and another, it just hadn't been working out for us. When the upcoming forecast was again showing an incoming winter storm on my days off in mid-February, I was tired of waiting and decided to just go anyway.

So Jamie and I packed our gear, knowing we would likely have some wind and snow. I can't say I was looking forward to the possibility of wind, but I was actually hoping for some fresh snowfall. We embraced the weather and had some winter camping fun!

No driving to our camp spot, so we parked and walked in.

We got a late start and spent the majority of day one setting up camp and gathering firewood, so I only got a few photos of surrounding views before it got too dark.

We were able to gather plenty of wood to cook and stay warm. Last pic for the night.

The snow was starting to move in more on day two.

Looking east, only a bit of the creek was showing through.

The creek was mostly covered looking to the west.

The snow gives a foggier look to the cliffs.

The later it got, the more the snow really started moving in on us.
We packed up camp and went for a hike before heading back home.

We had a blast hiking in the snow, like so many of our winter mountain adventures. :)

No shortage of views and fun along the way! :)

Eventually the melting snow on my camera lens was messing up my intended photos, but I thought the effect on this last one was a bit interesting.

And the fresh snowfall I had been hoping to get made our whole experience extra awesome -- despite being quite soggy by the time we headed for home. :)

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On this camp trip, I decided to make a goal to get in at least one camping or backpack trip per month. We had a blast on our mini-backpack adventure in March, and I'm still making plans for this month, so keep your eye out for more to come. :)

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backpack to little rock creek lake in early snow.

9/23/2017

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Things are looking different this year with the skipping/delay of early fall and the color changes that come with it.

After having an intense wildfire season in Montana this year, we suddenly went from having hot summer weather in the first half of September, to having late fall weather in the second half. I'm not sure what happened to early fall... it must have gotten lost out there somewhere. If you should happen to come across it, I'd be grateful if you would send it our way, as I've been missing it.

Anyway... we'd been hoping and praying for rain or snow in the mountains to put out our fires, and we were blessed with an answer to our prayers a little over a week ago. Rain, snow, cold... we got it. As I had been keeping an eye on our weather forecast, I mentioned to my son that we were expecting snow in the mountains at about 6000 feet and above in a few days. Josh loves backcountry skiing and always gets excited anytime you talk about snow coming. So, his reaction was, "We should go up St. Mary's this weekend since there will be snow on top." That became the plan, until....

Until, a day or two later when I mentioned we were supposed to have a low of 30 degrees in the valley Saturday night, which made him say, "Instead of St. Mary's, we should backpack to Little Rock Creek Lake this weekend." (In addition to snow, Josh also really likes cold, and it was sure to be colder in the mountains.)

So... after snow arrived in the mountains the day and night before, we set out for the lake with a 30% chance of rain Saturday morning. We started out on dry ground above and southwest of Lake Como. The snow covered trees on the mountainsides and cliffs made the views extra beautiful all around.

Backpack weight: 35-40 lbs. -- Hiking distance: about 10 miles roundtrip.

Overlooking the Rock Creek drainage at the west end of Lake Como (which was drained down to mostly mud at that end).

The snow and frost covered trees on the cliffs were absolutely gorgeous. Winter wonderland!

The mist made things a bit surreal and incredibly captivating. The views slowed my pace as I took plenty of photos!

We hit our first snow of the season. It got a little deeper as we continued to gain elevation.

Although we hiked in snow on the trail part of the way, it didn't get too bad overall. We wore gaiters to keep it out of our shoes as it got deeper, and we went a little slower on the portions with slippery rocks. And although it didn't rain, we did get a pretty good shower as the temps rose enough to melt the snow out of the trees over the top of us.

My fellow backpackers on this trip: one son and three daughters. We had the trail and lake to ourselves for the weekend.

I believe this is one of the Como Peaks to the south. Love the view!

Almost there! Such awesome views all around -- definitely worth the effort!

Looking eastward back towards the valley below from which we had come.

A couple of us stayed with the backpacks near the east end of the lake while the others took an excursion around the lake to scout out the best camping spot.

Emily and I wandered around taking in all the breathtaking views and shooting lots of pictures.

The others came back and said they had discovered fairly fresh bear, coyote, and elk or moose tracks around the lake.

While we didn't have any people to share the lake with, the tracks were a good reminder that we didn't have the lake completely to ourselves.

One of many rock outcrops along the north wall.

The ominous looking mist over the rock outcrops added more interest to our experience (and to my photos).

I love the thundering and splashing sounds of waterfalls, and the mist in the air that they create.

The upper falls.

The lower falls.

A portion of our view to the south.

Log jam at the outlet of the lake.

Snow makes logs beautiful, but extra tricky to cross.

-- At our destination about five miles in. First time I've been to this mountain lake. --

Beautiful cliff wall running along the north side of the lake.

I love reflections of mountains on water.

It wasn't very sunny and clear at the lake, but the views were still amazing. Things continually changed as clouds shifted over the mountains, the sun tried to glow through the clouds a little bit here and there, and the mist moved over the lake.

Hiking around the lake came to a brief halt while we watched the evening mist dance around on its glass-like stage.

Such awesome views ... it took me a while to get around the lake to our campsite!

We set up camp at the west end of the lake, and enjoyed beautiful views in every direction. The lake was to the east, El Capitan to the west, and the Como Peaks to the south.

After setting up the tents, I took more photos and then joined the others up in the trees to hang out and make supper on a decent sized slab rock in a little opening from the dripping trees.

Camping on snow isn't my favorite type of backpacking trip, but the snow sure adds to the scenic factor of the mountain views.

Daytime temps were somewhat warm, but we figured it probably got down to about 20-25 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. A little bit chilly. ;)

View to the east from our campsite. I love the mist on the lake.

Evening view of El Capitan from our campsite.

You can tell when the sun goes down behind the mountains by the sudden drop in temperature. Time to add layers.

-- day two --

Mornings are quite brisk, as we generally hit our low around 5am or so. With the sun comes the warmth.

Waking up to a beautiful view of El Capitan.

Time to dry out stuff that got wet the day before.

A glorious view of El Capitan from Little Rock Creek Lake in the Bitterroot Mountains.

We had a fabulous time. This backpack trip certainly gets two thumbs up. :)

Heading back out. Little Rock Creek Lake will definitely be on my list of places to come back to again.

Since we had lost track of time while hanging out (so easy to do in the mountains), it was well after 3pm by the time we got packed up and had left the lake. So I tucked my camera away and hustled along on the way back. No dilly, no dally ... just keep moving.

We were treated to a lovely view of Lake Como as we came to the end of our hike.

It was evening when we got back to the trailhead, and time to go home and have pizza for supper. My favorite thing to do after backpacking trips. :)

I hope you enjoyed coming along with me on my mountain adventure. I'd love it if you would leave me a comment below and/or hit the facebook button to let me know you liked it.

Enjoy your day! :)

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backpack to canyon lake.

6/19/2017

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Canyon Lake with Canyon Peak and North Canyon Peak to the west.

Because of the rain on our way in, my camera was staying safe and dry in my pack most of the time. Therefore, most of these pictures were taken the next day after the rain had stopped and the sun was out.

5 miles to the lake on a rough and steep trail much of the way.

Lovely beargrass blooms along the way.

Beautiful and interesting plants.

Canyon Creek is a fairly rough trail with many rocks and tree roots in the path, plenty of up and down, and this time of year lots of water, mud, and muck to deal with. The last portion gets quite steep for the most part, with water running over rocks in the almost non-existent trail on much of it, and sections of snow that hadn't melted off yet. Because it rained most of our way in, everything was quite wet, making many of the rocks extra slippery.

When we arrived at the lake, in addition to being rainy, it was also very windy. It wasn't an ideal combination with the lowering temps (it was quickly heading from a high around 46 degrees Fahrenheit towards a predicted low of 34), so we crossed the snowfield and found a little spot to camp out of the direct wind.

At camp the wind still got pretty gusty at times, but it wasn't nearly as windy as it had been at the lake, and it wasn't constant. We set up the tents in the rain, got a fire going and cooked supper in the dark, changed to dry clothes and snuggled in to stay warm and dry while it rained and blew through most of the night.

Our escape from the wind and rain during the night.

Campfire cooking for supper, breakfast, and lunch.

We had beautiful views at camp with the creek running alongside.

Morning came and the rain changed to snow for just a bit while we had breakfast. The clouds eventually cleared and the sun came out, giving us a chance to dry out our wet backpacks and clothing from our hike in.

We had nice sunshine without rain the rest of the time, which allowed for some picture taking and beautiful views of the lake, as well as making the hike out more enjoyable. :)

The snowfield we crossed going from the lake to our more protected campspot we found nestled in the trees.

A relaxing view at the lake.

View of Wyant Peak to the south of Canyon Lake.

Enjoying the sunshine and amazing views as we descend back down the trail.

Canyon Falls as seen from near the trail below the lake.

The Sapphire Mtns. and Bitterroot Valley in view again.

While I have to admit that a few parts of this trip weren't quite what I would consider ideal, I did have a lot of fun. We'll definitely have to do this again sometime when it's not raining, so we can camp next to the lake and enjoy hanging out there a bit more. :)

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winter camping + day hike in the bitterroot. feb 2023.

backpack to little rock creek lake in early snow.

-- day two --

backpack to canyon lake.

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