Backpacking: Granite Lake

ByMatt

When I first moved to Idaho, I would study Google Earth to look for places to explore. The Cabinet Mountains across the border in Montana stood out with its high peaks and alpine lakes. The largest of these is Granite Lake and it sits beneath one of the highest peaks in the range. I never did make it during my grad school tenure. So when we decided to go out for one last trek this year, I pitched this, and the next thing I know, we were on the road headed toward Libby to get to the trailhead.

On paper, it doesn’t seem like it’s too hard of a hike. It is six miles to the lake with an elevation gain of 1600 feet. In practice, this turned out to be more of an adventure than I was expecting. The first three miles are fairly easy. The trail climbs gently alongside the creek. There is a log bridge about two miles in to cross the creek, and then beyond that a small waterfall with a campsite nearby. This looks like it would be a great spot to spend the night, though the terrain limits where a hole can be dug. As a result, we quickly found the popular spot where people were using for a bathroom.

Waterfall on Granite Creek

At the third mile, the trail crosses the creek again, but this time there is no bridge. We’re in the wilderness area now where no structures are allowed to be built. The remaining two crossings also require getting wet. The third crossing is just shy of mile 4, and this is where the hike takes off upward through a lush forest of moss, mushrooms, and greenery. The steep incline gets old fast. We make a steady pace, stopping frequently to catch our breath and hydrate. As the sun sets, we make it to the final stream crossing, only half a mile from our destination. The trail is in a meadow of tall grasses and shrubs before it hits the forest again. Here, there are a couple of small ponds with campsites, but we kept going to the lake to make camp. The sun had set and darkness was approaching, so we set up camp and made dinner.

Granite Lake Sunrise

The next morning, I got up to catch the sunrise. The lake was still providing a mirror-like reflection of the mountain. Unfortunately, between the clouds and the geography, there was no bright red alpenglow on the peak. It was a beautiful morning nonetheless. We spent some time relaxing and enjoying the view until the clouds came in. We felt a light sprinkle and decided that was our cue to pack up and head back. The hike down was as difficult as the hike up. The creek isn’t just a small stream. It’s deep in spots and requires some precarious navigation to avoid falling in completely. The dogs weren’t keen on the crossings either. When we hit the “bottom” of the trail, the last few miles weren’t the gentle slope that it felt like on the way up. There were some ups and downs that I swear weren’t there the day before. But when you’re exhausted, everything feels bigger. We finally made it to the car, aching and drained. We headed into Libby for a beer and meal at the Cabinet Mountain Brewing Company.

Despite the struggles, this trip was worth the effort. The Cabinet Mountains are beautiful and Granite Lake is a spectacular destination. While not the highest of the lakes, it sits about 4000 feet below A-Peak and Snowshoe Peak, an impressive and colossal view that reminds you just how small you are in this world.

Information on this hike:

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