Top 5 Overall |
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Mallard-Larkins Snow Peak Loop (4.8 out of 5.0) The hallmark of the Mallard-Larkins are steep pinnacles, dozens of sub-alpine lakes, a flora ranging from rainforest-like ancient cedars to subalpine … |
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Buck Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This 38-mile loop served as our inaugural hike into Montana’s Cabinet Wilderness Area. Magnificient views, picturesque alpine lakes, plenty of wildlife,… |
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Long Canyon – Parker Ridge Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) Whether it’s lush creek bottoms smothered in devil’s club and ferns or sweeping views from high ridgetops, the Long Canyon – Parker Ridge loop promises… |
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Harrison Lake to Beehive Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This loop combines two of the most popular lake hikes in the American Selkirks, Harrison Lake and Beehive Lakes, via a phenomenal off-trail ridge hike… |
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Bacon-Bean Loop (4.4 out of 5.0) Azure-blue skies. Emerald-green slopes. Towering pines. Fields of bracken fern. Lazily meandering rivers. Lush moss-covered tributaries. Steep talus slopes…. |
Top 5 near Coeur d’Alene |
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Mineral Ridge Loop (3.2 out of 5.0) A popular 3-to-4-mile loop hike offering breathtaking views of Lake Coeur d’Alene…. |
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Newman Lake McKenzie Loop (3.1 out of 5.0) The McKenzie Conservation area covers nearly 500 acres along the northwestern shore of Newman Lake. Host to deer, moose, raccoons and a plethora of birds,… |
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Marie Creek Loop (3.1 out of 5.0) Great hiking trails lead to outstanding destinations. Spectacular pinnacles with 360-degree views. Hidden cirque lakes nestled high up in the mountains,… |
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Hells Canyon and Nicholas Ridge (3.1 out of 5.0) Not to be confused with its namesake chasm, home to the Snake River, Hells Canyon is a comparatively tame canyon feeding Hayden Creek. The old trail, … |
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Farragut State Park Loop (3.0 out of 5.0) Farragut State Park sits at the southern tip of Lake Pend Oreille on the the site of a former naval training station. During World War II more than 293,000… |
Top 5 near Sandpoint |
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Gem Lake (3.9 out of 5.0) Gem Lake fully lives up to its name, cradled in a bowl opposite the Pend Oreille Divide of the Cabinet Mountains northeast of Sandpoint. Though the hike… |
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Lake Darling – Pend Oreille Divide Loop (3.8 out of 5.0) Lake Darling is one of five lakes situated in this northwest corner of the Cabinet Mountains. A pleasant trail leads through an evergreen forest of fir… |
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Schafer Peak via Green Monarch (3.6 out of 5.0) The Monarchs consist of a forested ridge rising a steep 3,000 feet out of Lake Pend Oreille’s eastern arm. Starting from Johnson Saddle, trail #69 hops… |
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Evans Landing (3.4 out of 5.0) Trail #64 is a short hike mostly downhill through a mixed coniferous forest to a gravel-and-sand beach on Lake Pend Oreille. The trail is well-shaded … |
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Mineral Point Loop (3.2 out of 5.0) Green Bay is a minute campground on a picture-book pebble beach, clinging to the northern-most edge of the Kaniksu National Forest on Lake Pend Oreille’s… |
Top 5 near Spokane |
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Deep Creek Canyon Loop (3.1 out of 5.0) The Deep Creek Canyon loop trail winds around the northern section of Riverside State Park without actually crossing Deep Creek. Open Ponderosa forests,… |
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Iller Creek Loop (3.1 out of 5.0) Iller Creek is one of the most interesting loop hikes close to Spokane, leading to spectacular outlooks across the Spokane valley and the Selkirks to … |
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Newman Lake McKenzie Loop (3.1 out of 5.0) The McKenzie Conservation area covers nearly 500 acres along the northwestern shore of Newman Lake. Host to deer, moose, raccoons and a plethora of birds,… |
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Riverside State Park Loop (Trail 25) (3.0 out of 5.0) Situated northwest of Spokane, Riverside State Park stretches along the Spokane River and covers some 14,000 acres. It’s Washington’s largest, beating… |
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Slavin Conservation Area Loop (2.9 out of 5.0) The Slavin Conservation Area covers 628 acres of Ponderosa forest, rolling meadows, marshes and a lengthy pond much treasured by waterfowl. The site of… |
Top 5 in the Bitterroot Mountains |
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Mallard-Larkins Snow Peak Loop (4.8 out of 5.0) The hallmark of the Mallard-Larkins are steep pinnacles, dozens of sub-alpine lakes, a flora ranging from rainforest-like ancient cedars to subalpine … |
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Bacon-Bean Loop (4.4 out of 5.0) Azure-blue skies. Emerald-green slopes. Towering pines. Fields of bracken fern. Lazily meandering rivers. Lush moss-covered tributaries. Steep talus slopes…. |
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Lone Lake – Stevens Lake Loop (4.0 out of 5.0) Named after Isaac Stevens, first governor of the Washington Territory in the mid-1800s, Stevens Peak is the tallest mountain in this area of pristine … |
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St. Regis Lakes to Copper Lake Loop (3.6 out of 5.0) The St. Regis Lakes are Montana’s twins of Idaho’s Stevens Lakes, nestled close together just across the stateline. This trail conveniently starts out… |
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Stevens Lakes (3.4 out of 5.0) There really is only one downside to the Stevens Lakes trail, the result of all its upside: the trailhead is easily accessible, right off I-90, it’s … |
Top 5 in the Cabinet Mountains |
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Buck Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This 38-mile loop served as our inaugural hike into Montana’s Cabinet Wilderness Area. Magnificient views, picturesque alpine lakes, plenty of wildlife,… |
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Wanless Lake Loop (4.3 out of 5.0) The Wanless Lake loop astonishes with not just one lake, but five in total, each worth the hike in its own right. Wanless Lake is the cream of the crop,… |
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Rock Lake (4.0 out of 5.0) Rock Lake is a pleasant hike to a phenomenal lake in the midst of the Cabinet Wilderness. Steep talus slopes frame the lake on both sides, with the sheer… |
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Gem Lake (3.9 out of 5.0) Gem Lake fully lives up to its name, cradled in a bowl opposite the Pend Oreille Divide of the Cabinet Mountains northeast of Sandpoint. Though the hike… |
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Scotchman Peak (3.9 out of 5.0) Scotchman Peak is the backyard mountain of Clark Fork, towering an impressive 7,000 feet above the town and Lake Pend Oreille. The bare peak offers 360-degree… |
Top 5 in the Channeled Scablands |
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Deep Creek Canyon Loop (3.1 out of 5.0) The Deep Creek Canyon loop trail winds around the northern section of Riverside State Park without actually crossing Deep Creek. Open Ponderosa forests,… |
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Odessa – Lake Creek (3.1 out of 5.0) The Odessa to Lakeview Ranch trail dissects a 12,000-acre parcel of BLM land in the midst of Washington’s farmland. For a desert hike, it sure offered… |
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Riverside State Park Loop (Trail 25) (3.0 out of 5.0) Situated northwest of Spokane, Riverside State Park stretches along the Spokane River and covers some 14,000 acres. It’s Washington’s largest, beating… |
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McCroskey State Park Loop (3.0 out of 5.0) Located about 20 miles north of Moscow, McCroskey State Park stretches along Skyline Ridge to the Washington state line. The land was donated to the Park… |
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Turnbull Wildlife Refuge Loop (2.9 out of 5.0) Established in 1937, the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge is a 17,000-acre sanctuary for migratory birds, located south of Cheney, WA. The loop hike … |
Top 5 in the Clearwater Mountains |
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Marble Creek Loop (3.1 out of 5.0) Heavily logged in the twentieth century, the Marble Creek region is now covered with a mix of fir, larch, cedar, spruce, and hemlock, with little evidence… |
Top 5 in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains |
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Coeur d’Alene North Fork River Loop (3.9 out of 5.0) The Coeur d’Alene River National Recreation Trail (#20) is easily one of the nicest hikes in the Coeur d’Alene Mountains. It follows the playfully-meandering… |
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Graham Mountain Loop (3.8 out of 5.0) A seventeen-mile loop hike through lush canyon bottoms and alpine meadows to the top of Graham Mountain… |
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Lost Creek – Trout Creek Loop (3.7 out of 5.0) A 44-mile figure-eight loop along Lost Creek to the Idaho-Montana state line, including the Trout Creek National Recreational trail on the Montana side…. |
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Schafer Peak via Green Monarch (3.6 out of 5.0) The Monarchs consist of a forested ridge rising a steep 3,000 feet out of Lake Pend Oreille’s eastern arm. Starting from Johnson Saddle, trail #69 hops… |
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Shoshone Ridge to Little Guard Loop (3.6 out of 5.0) Connecting two former lookout tower sites, the relatively level ten-mile Shoshone Ridge loop dishes out phenomenal views across the Coeur d’Alene River… |
Top 5 in the Elsewhere |
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Lake Wenatchee North Loop (3.2 out of 5.0) Lake Wenatchee State Park covers almost 500 wooded acres along the eastern shore of Lake Wenatchee near the outlet. Open year-around, the park’s activities… |
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Chelan Butte (2.9 out of 5.0) Towering more than 2,000 feet above Chelan, WA, Chelan Butte serves up sweeping views of Lake Chelan, a patchwork of apple orchards rimming the lakeshore,… |
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Whiting Ranch (2.7 out of 5.0) Whiting Ranch Wilderness Park consists of 2,500 acres of arid rocky hills in Orange County, occupying what once was part of a cattle operation started… |
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Tumwater/Penstock Pipeline (2.6 out of 5.0) This short trail outside Leavenworth, WA, follows an old pipeline that in the early 1900s carried water from the Tumwater dam through a tunnel and alongside… |
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Deer Flat Loop (2.4 out of 5.0) The Deer Flat Reservoir near Boise (aka Lake Lowell) was built from 1906 to 1909 to irrigate the surrounding countryside. Lacking any local water sources,… |
Top 5 in the Selkirk Mountains |
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Long Canyon – Parker Ridge Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) Whether it’s lush creek bottoms smothered in devil’s club and ferns or sweeping views from high ridgetops, the Long Canyon – Parker Ridge loop promises… |
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Harrison Lake to Beehive Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This loop combines two of the most popular lake hikes in the American Selkirks, Harrison Lake and Beehive Lakes, via a phenomenal off-trail ridge hike… |
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West Fork Mountain via Red Top and Hidden Lake (4.3 out of 5.0) Located in the northwestern-most corner of North Idaho, the West Fork Mountain trail jumps from one lookout tower site to another, visits a string of … |
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Myrtle Lake via Myrtle Peak (4.2 out of 5.0) Located in the heart of the Selkirk Crest, Myrtle Peak towers over Myrtle Lake, a pleasant alpine lake stocked with cutthroat trout. The mountaintop, … |
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Big Fisher Lake via Trout Lake (4.0 out of 5.0) A favorite among visitors to the American Selkirks, the Big Fisher Trail serves up two crystal-clear ice-cold alpine lakes, enormous granite outcroppings… |
Top 5 in the St. Joe Mountains |
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Crystal Lake and Pearson Peak (3.6 out of 5.0) The Crystal Lake loop in the St. Joe Mountains is rather pretty and surprisingly popular given the rather tediously long drive up Rochat Divide. The trout-filled… |
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East Fork Big Creek Loop (3.5 out of 5.0) Once covered by huge stands of white pine, the Big Creek drainage was targeted by miners and loggers in the late 19th century. The 1910 Great Burn wreaked… |
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Latour Peak (3.5 out of 5.0) The highest point in Kootenai County is right on Latour Peak, which means incredible views since the peak is pretty much bare. Steeply below it huddles… |
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Pulaski Tunnel (2.4 out of 5.0) The Pulaski Tunnel trail is a great history lesson, chronicling the events of the 1910 Great Burn that consumed 3 million acres across the northwest in… |
Top 5 rated Easy |
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Priest Lake Lakeshore Trail (3.5 out of 5.0) The Lakeshore Trail is the northernmost section of a trail stretching along virtually the entirety of Priest Lake’s western shore. Most of the lakeshore… |
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Navigation Trail (3.4 out of 5.0) Running the full length of Upper Priest Lake’s western shore, the Navigation trail connects Beaver Creek Campground with FR-1013 (Gold Creek Road), which… |
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Bead Lake (3.3 out of 5.0) Bead Lake is a hidden marvel, stashed away in this northeast corner of Washington state. Trail 127 traces the eastern shore of the lake beneath a cooling… |
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Deep Creek Levee (3.3 out of 5.0) The Deep Creek trail rides atop a levee for two miles along playfully-meandering Deep Creek. Be prepared for stunning fall colors, a surprising array … |
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Lake Wenatchee North Loop (3.2 out of 5.0) Lake Wenatchee State Park covers almost 500 wooded acres along the eastern shore of Lake Wenatchee near the outlet. Open year-around, the park’s activities… |
Top 5 rated Moderate |
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Bacon-Bean Loop (4.4 out of 5.0) Azure-blue skies. Emerald-green slopes. Towering pines. Fields of bracken fern. Lazily meandering rivers. Lush moss-covered tributaries. Steep talus slopes…. |
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Wanless Lake Loop (4.3 out of 5.0) The Wanless Lake loop astonishes with not just one lake, but five in total, each worth the hike in its own right. Wanless Lake is the cream of the crop,… |
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Myrtle Lake via Myrtle Peak (4.2 out of 5.0) Located in the heart of the Selkirk Crest, Myrtle Peak towers over Myrtle Lake, a pleasant alpine lake stocked with cutthroat trout. The mountaintop, … |
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Rock Lake (4.0 out of 5.0) Rock Lake is a pleasant hike to a phenomenal lake in the midst of the Cabinet Wilderness. Steep talus slopes frame the lake on both sides, with the sheer… |
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Big Fisher Lake via Trout Lake (4.0 out of 5.0) A favorite among visitors to the American Selkirks, the Big Fisher Trail serves up two crystal-clear ice-cold alpine lakes, enormous granite outcroppings… |
Top 5 rated More Difficult |
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Long Canyon – Parker Ridge Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) Whether it’s lush creek bottoms smothered in devil’s club and ferns or sweeping views from high ridgetops, the Long Canyon – Parker Ridge loop promises… |
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Buck Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This 38-mile loop served as our inaugural hike into Montana’s Cabinet Wilderness Area. Magnificient views, picturesque alpine lakes, plenty of wildlife,… |
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West Fork Mountain via Red Top and Hidden Lake (4.3 out of 5.0) Located in the northwestern-most corner of North Idaho, the West Fork Mountain trail jumps from one lookout tower site to another, visits a string of … |
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Lone Lake – Stevens Lake Loop (4.0 out of 5.0) Named after Isaac Stevens, first governor of the Washington Territory in the mid-1800s, Stevens Peak is the tallest mountain in this area of pristine … |
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Gem Lake (3.9 out of 5.0) Gem Lake fully lives up to its name, cradled in a bowl opposite the Pend Oreille Divide of the Cabinet Mountains northeast of Sandpoint. Though the hike… |
Top 5 rated Strenuous |
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Mallard-Larkins Snow Peak Loop (4.8 out of 5.0) The hallmark of the Mallard-Larkins are steep pinnacles, dozens of sub-alpine lakes, a flora ranging from rainforest-like ancient cedars to subalpine … |
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Harrison Lake to Beehive Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This loop combines two of the most popular lake hikes in the American Selkirks, Harrison Lake and Beehive Lakes, via a phenomenal off-trail ridge hike… |
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Snow Lake – Bottleneck Lakes Loop (3.9 out of 5.0) Two gorgeous alpine lakes and a bare-granite peak, it can’t get much better than that! A gently-ascending trail leads to Snow Lake, a cirque just north… |
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Lake Estelle to Gem Lake Connector (3.9 out of 5.0) Lake Estelle and Gem Lake are only a bit over a mile apart, but lack a connecting trail. Both lakes are at an altitude just under 5,800 feet, divided … |
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Little Ibex Lake (3.8 out of 5.0) Little Ibex Lake sits amidst a dramatic surrounding of tall peaks near the highest points of the Cabinets, with excellent views of Snowshoe Peak, the … |
Top 5 Peak Hikes |
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Mallard-Larkins Snow Peak Loop (4.8 out of 5.0) The hallmark of the Mallard-Larkins are steep pinnacles, dozens of sub-alpine lakes, a flora ranging from rainforest-like ancient cedars to subalpine … |
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Buck Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This 38-mile loop served as our inaugural hike into Montana’s Cabinet Wilderness Area. Magnificient views, picturesque alpine lakes, plenty of wildlife,… |
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Long Canyon – Parker Ridge Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) Whether it’s lush creek bottoms smothered in devil’s club and ferns or sweeping views from high ridgetops, the Long Canyon – Parker Ridge loop promises… |
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Harrison Lake to Beehive Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This loop combines two of the most popular lake hikes in the American Selkirks, Harrison Lake and Beehive Lakes, via a phenomenal off-trail ridge hike… |
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Bacon-Bean Loop (4.4 out of 5.0) Azure-blue skies. Emerald-green slopes. Towering pines. Fields of bracken fern. Lazily meandering rivers. Lush moss-covered tributaries. Steep talus slopes…. |
Top 5 Lake Hikes |
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Mallard-Larkins Snow Peak Loop (4.8 out of 5.0) The hallmark of the Mallard-Larkins are steep pinnacles, dozens of sub-alpine lakes, a flora ranging from rainforest-like ancient cedars to subalpine … |
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Buck Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This 38-mile loop served as our inaugural hike into Montana’s Cabinet Wilderness Area. Magnificient views, picturesque alpine lakes, plenty of wildlife,… |
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Long Canyon – Parker Ridge Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) Whether it’s lush creek bottoms smothered in devil’s club and ferns or sweeping views from high ridgetops, the Long Canyon – Parker Ridge loop promises… |
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Harrison Lake to Beehive Lake Loop (4.5 out of 5.0) This loop combines two of the most popular lake hikes in the American Selkirks, Harrison Lake and Beehive Lakes, via a phenomenal off-trail ridge hike… |
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Bacon-Bean Loop (4.4 out of 5.0) Azure-blue skies. Emerald-green slopes. Towering pines. Fields of bracken fern. Lazily meandering rivers. Lush moss-covered tributaries. Steep talus slopes…. |