Mount Hague : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost

Overview

Mount Hague is located NNW of Mystic lake and can be climbed in a day from the Trailhead which is at 6,557' in elevation. It's about eight miles one way and an elevation gain of about 5,800'. If you want to break it up, you can camp at Mystic Lake, there's a good campsite right at the Western end of the lake on the North shore and this would make the summit day very straightforward. Mystic Lake is about three miles from the trail head, at 7,673' in elevation and just over two miles long. It's a great place to camp and the fishing is good, except you might only find smaller fish at the west end.
Mount Hague is similar to many Beartooth peaks in that it is the apex of a tilted plateau strewn with rocks, so travel up there is basically rockhopping, but not as bad as some. The last 1 1/2 miles is on this plateau. Spectacular views to the south of Fellow 12er's: Tempest, Granite Peak, NW. Granite, Villard, Glacier and Mystic peaks can be had.
The view of the spectacular rock jutting out to the north of Mystic lake is a lower part of the tilted Plateau that includes Mount Hague, the actual summit cannot be seen from Mystic Lake, but you pass right along that cliff.

Getting There

To get to the Trail head drive south from Columbus, Montana on hwy. 78 to Absarokee, then another couple miles to the turn off to Fishtail (hwy 419). Turn west and drive about three miles to fish tail, continue west about a mile to a sign that says West Rosebud Road, turn south for about 1/2 mile then left again at the "t", keep on West Rosebud Road about six miles to a fork with a sign that says Mystic Lake 14 Miles. Follow this gravel road the fourteen miles to the Trailhead. There are many campsites along the way and one right before the trailhead. There is an outhouse at the trailhead but not much more than a parking lot. Then of course, there's the power station for the dam that you have to walk through right as you start out...

Red Tape

Nothing special, Mount Hague is in the Absarok-Beartooth Wilderness area and Custer National Forest so usual Government Regulations apply. Also of course usual fire or Bear warnings can be in effect but basically this is Wilderness (though Mystic Lake gets a lot of Traffic) so yer on yer own, as it should be.

Camping

[img:323194:alignleft:small:]Many camping sites along the route in and once you are on the trail you can camp anywhere except within I think 200 feet of the lake shore, or 100 feet of a stream or whatever the government has decided now (subject to change). Regs are posted! Take note, if you want to camp on the mountain, there is only a couple sites where Water is available above the stream that empties into Mystic on the nw corner, so carry water or your options are limited. Right as you reach the Plateau, there are some pools/springs below and to your left, you'll see the greener grass later in the season, hopefully.

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