Bailey Lake sits just below the Montana-Idaho border in the Bitterroot Mountains.
The hike to Bailey Lake is a pretty short hike at about 1-1/2 miles in. The trail starts out in the trees, keeping the views hidden as you hike through thick vegetation encroaching onto the trail. When you arrive at the upper portion of the trail, the views suddenly appear before your eyes. What a contrast it is between the two sections! The view around the lake is not especially scenic, but it's a nice place to enjoy a bit of serenity. :)
A gorgeous panoramic view above the dense trees on the way to Bailey Lake.
The sunshine gets a bit warm on a mid-August afternoon. Jamie's thinking about jumping in the lake when we get there.
The upper section is such a beautiful area to hike in!
Getting close.
We enjoyed the solitude of Bailey Lake with no one else around. Had the trail and lake completely to ourselves.
Except for this killdeer that hung out at the lake with us for a bit. :)
Jamie was brave enough to take a little swim. Me? Not so much. It was too cold, so I left the swimming to her and the fish. ;)
We watched a helicopter fly over us, pick up some kind of equipment on the ridge above the lake, then fly away with it.
We thought the helicopter was just flying past, so it surprised us when it stayed in sight hovering just above the ridge.
 Touching down. |  Lifting up with something attached. |
And off they go again. First time I've seen a helicopter pick something up in the mountains.
Hanging out at the lake was quite relaxing on a late summer day in the mountains. I almost took a nap. Almost. ;)
We enjoyed the surrounding views again as we headed back down the way we came.
Easy, enjoyable hiking in this section.
The views disappeared as we entered the trees and thick brush again. Ate a few huckleberries on the way back down. :)
 Stellar's jay. |  Immature Cooper's hawk. |
Another fun mountain adventure! :)
(Emily came along on this hike too, but she generally prefers that I leave her out of my photos for my blog. It's not easy, but every now and then I'm able to convince her to let me use one or two.)
