Montana's Bob Marshall Country has scores of unnamed peaks that by prominence standards and character qualify as official peaks. Climbing all of them would be a worthy lifetime objective. Documenting all of them is of more dubious value, though, as it is unlikely that more than a relative handful of people, even in the mountaineering world, would notice or care. In choosing to document the unnamed, unsung mountains in this vast wilderness area, then, one probably should choose those that will have some kind of appeal to the mountaineering community at large.

"Hidden Lake Peak" passes that test. It is not some obscure peak 20 miles deep in the wilderness that is accessible only by several miles of off-trail travel involving bushwhacking and scrambling. Almost no one is going to look for information on such a peak. That is not to say, however, that such a peak is not worth climbing; some, including me, might argue that it is a peak especially worth climbing. But a page on such a mountain would have little real value or purpose.

But "Hidden Lake Peak"-- Point 8466 on the USGS Our Lake Quadrangle, is a peak that many people see and admire, though just a scant few seem to climb it. The mountain is the northern backdrop for beautiful Our Lake, perhaps the most popular hiking destination in the Sawtooth Range, a subrange of Montana's Rocky Mountain Front. It is one of two unnamed peaks directly between Rocky Mountain and Old Baldy, the two highest peaks in the Sawtooth Range (Rocky Mountain also happens to be the highest peak of the Bob Marshall Wilderness); the other of those unnamed peaks is Point 8789-- "Revelation Peak." This peak is on the political boundary of the Bob Marshall Wilderness, though real wilderness is truly all around it, and from its summit one can stare west over an ocean of mountains both named and unnamed that spans the wild heart of north-central Montana. On clear days, views even extend all the way north to Glacier National Park; some of the well-known peaks in the southern part of the park are easily visible. Even the views to the east are superb, for one can see the eastern wall (its west face, that is) of the Rocky Mountain Front and, beyond it, the Great Plains.

The mountain also offers an escape from what can sometimes be a busy and noisy setting at Our Lake and along the trail to it. This is a popular trail, and although I have never seen it really crowded, it does attract enough people, with the attendant percentage of yahoos-- tourists who discover that it is easy to make an echo in the mountains, locals who make messes and shortcut the switchbacks in their single-minded pursuit of fishing at the lake, etc.-- that a solitude-minded person may want and need to get away for a bit.

You'll get that on Hidden Lake Peak. I found no signs of people high on the mountain, not even the usual summit cairn, a pleasant surprise considering the peak's proximity to a popular destination. During my climb, I encountered nobody else from the time I left the lake until the time I returned. Wait, I take that back-- 4 mountain goats briefly kept me company.

And all this for the price of about 9 miles (round-trip).

"Hidden Lake Peak" has two distinct summits; the western one is higher than the eastern one by about 100', and the eastern summit does not have enough vertical rise from the connecting saddle to qualify as a separate peak (its rise is about 200'). The eastern summit, though, is more challenging to climb, and if you enjoy Class 3 and 4 conditions, I do recommend a circuit of the mountain from east summit to west, as you will be upclimbing the sections that are more difficult, more exposed, and more enjoyable. If you are not an experienced scrambler or dislike exposure, you should use the South Ridge route. More information on routes can be found below in the "Routes Overview" section and on the attached route pages.

My nickname for the peak comes from the alternate name of the lake: Hidden Lake. Hidden Lake Peak just sounded better than Our Lake Peak or Our Peak. And Hidden Peak just wouldn't make any sense since the peak is anything but hidden.

Pictures-- I'm trying something new here. On many of my pages, I show views from the mountain; sometimes I even make a separate section for them. This time, I am instead only displaying pictures of the mountain on this page, leaving the views a mystery for those who prefer it that way. The route pages display the pictures of route conditions. However, for those who do like to see the views, I have created and attached an album for those images. All of my pictures related to this peak are in this page's Image Gallery, though.

Getting There

About 4 miles north of the Rocky Mountain Ranger Station in Choteau on U.S. 89, a paved road indicating skiing and fishing access heads left. Take it. About 17 miles later, take a left turn that shortly crosses the South Fork Teton River and becomes a gravel road. This is the South Fork Teton Road, and you follow it through increasingly pretty scenery for about ten miles to a parking area at its end. The parking area is about 1 mile past the turnoff for the Mill Falls campground and recreation area. Mill Falls takes only a few minutes to see and is pretty but not heart-stopping. On the right side of the road at the parking area, you will find the trailhead for Headquarters Creek Pass and Hidden Lake (Our Lake). The route starts here.

These roads are passable for passenger cars.

Routes Overview

Two of the three routes mentioned here are covered in more detail on the attached route pages. All the routes involve hiking to Our Lake first.

Distance to the summit is close to 4.5 miles, with approximately 2700' of elevation gain. These can vary according to the route chosen, but the variations will not be drastic. Distance to the summit from the lake will vary from 1-1.5 miles.

The off-trail portion of the climb will be Class 2-4, depending on the route. It would be difficult to keep it at Class 2 all the way.

Via East Summit

Climbers on this route will find Class 3 conditions en route to the east summit and then again from the saddle between the summits up to the west summit. However, it is highly likely that one will encounter Class 4 conditions as well. There is a nice traverse atop the eastern peak between its various summits.

South Ridge

A little longer than the route via the East summit but also easier, this route can be kept at Class 2 if care is taken, though anyone who likes scrambling will find it much easier to take as direct a route as possible, which means encountering Class 3 conditions on occasion.

This route is accessed by hiking to a saddle about half a mile west of Our Lake.

East-West Saddle Route

Between the two summits, there is a saddle that can be reached by leaving the path between Our Lake and the saddle to its west. A person could reach the saddle (600-800' up steep talus) and then climb to the main summit. Why anyone would want to use this as an ascent route is beyond me; people who like scrambling will find far more of it climbing via the eastern summit, and people who prefer to avoid scrambling and exposure won't avoid them by climbing the summit from its eastern side. People skilled at downclimbing Class 3 and 4 terrain, however, could climb via the south ridge or eastern summit, descend to the saddle, and then make a very fast descent down the scree.

Summit routes

Red Tape

No fees or permits. You are not allowed to camp within 1000' of Our Lake. Stock are not permitted on the trail to Our Lake, though fresh manure on the trail the last time I hiked it demonstrates that not all users heed that restriction.

Something to keep in mind at all times is that this is grizzly country. Before you go out, know what to do in the presence of a grizzly. When hiking, be alert and make noise in places where visibility is limited. Carrying pepper spray is a good idea if you have it within easy reach and know how to use it.

Camping

The campground by Mill Falls is just a mile away. Dispersed camping is available, but the road passes by a good deal of private property.

Camping is prohibited at the trailhead (that seems to apply to actual camping, not sleeping in the car).

Backcountry camping is free and no permit is required. Camping within 1000' of Our Lake is prohibited.

More Information

Lewis and Clark National Forest-- Contact the Rocky Mountain Ranger District in Choteau.

Images



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