Grouse ridge area

[janky]

Thanks Phil for the great post with lots of information. I need to digest this in the next few days as my family and I are getting a hotel Friday night and hitting the access roads.

[janky]

I zeroed in on Island Lake. We're going to head up there tomorrow morning really early to try to get a campsite before the masses. Good fishing is a necessity and from my web search both Island Lake and Penner lake have good fishing. Called TNF ranger office and Bowman Road is open all the way to Bowman Lake so we should be good there in terms of access roads. Will report back.

[giantbrookie]

On the map, it looks like you could also access the Beyers Lake trail from Eagle Lakes. The "road" to Eagle Lakes is an extremely rough jeep trail and is often flooded in early season. I don't recommend it.
Phil

I have done this but this won't do in early season because there was (is?) no bridge over Fordyce Creek, or at least this was the case when I went this way in the late 90s. Without a bridge I'd say a crossing of Fordyce Creek is out of the question. The jeep trail certainly required 4WD and high clearance and experience driving such trails. It is probably the most difficult jeep trail I've attempted with my vehicle (stock '92 Nissan Pathfinder) and if you're familiar with the Roger Mitchell rating system I'd say there were a couple of spots that were Mitchell class 4. Of course the conditions and degree of difficulty of such trails can change a bit from year to year. Beyers is much better accessed from either the Grouse Ridge side or the Baltimore L. side. The Baltimore approach, however, also requires 4WD (Mitchell class 3) for the jeep trail that ends near Baltimore L. and some off trail work, but it is the closest approach and probably the most pleasant. The jeep trail isn't that long so that if one needs to walk it the added distance isn't huge, but one still has to do off trail.

[janky]

Got back from backpacking with my two boys and my wife yesterday. We had an awesome time. I'd highly recommend this trip if you're backpacking for the first time with younger kids. My boys are 9 and 11 so it was actually a tad short but the day hikes to other lakes made it worthwhile. Drive from 80 to Bowman Road to the Carr Lake trailhead was uneventful. The final sign to Carr Lake is worn out but there's a log there with spray paint on it (thanks whoever did that). Parking was tight when we arrived Saturday morning but we found a spot. Hike past Carr, Feeley and eventually to Island Lake was really quick as it's only around 1.6 miles. There were loads of people on the trail and already a lot of spots taken when we arrived at Island Lake at 9am so a bit of scrambling to find a good spot but we found an awesome spot on the water and off the trail. Can't say it was the quietest time I've ever had backpacking but that was expected as there's no permits required except for a camp fire. Fishing in Island Lake was awful. I consider myself a very good fisherman but the lake just wasn't producing. I only saw two trout in the little outlet stream near a site and they were spooked very easily. I finally catch fish on some of my day hikes but overall the fishing was subpar. For the reason I don't think I'd go back anytime soon. Total was 4 Rainbow trout and I was fishing every day with my fly rod. My boys had each had one one with spinners but lost both. The mosquitos weren't that bad at all, only really near darkness. Last year at Chain Lakes they were awful even during the day but not the case at Island Lake. There was a lot of snow still up there, I was really surprised to see so much of it even at 7000 feet. We used the snow to refrigerate some of our water bottles over night Day hike to Penner Lake was superb but that lake was really busy too when we got there but not too busy to find a spot for the boys to swim and I fished around the edges of the lake (no bites but heard folks were catching). We also did a day hike up to Milk Lake (no luck fishing there but my son had one on and one of the hikers we passed said he caught 6 trout)....beautiful lake though. We were originally trying to get to Grouse Ridge lookout but got turned around because the trails weren't marked very well from Island Lake. There was a lot of debris and the trails were washed out in places with streams running down the middle in addition to a lot of crossings over snow and brush hiding the trails. So I'd say it will be another month before things really start to dry out to make the trails easier to navigate.

[Carne_DelMuerto]

I have done this but this won't do in early season because there was (is?) no bridge over Fordyce Creek, or at least this was the case when I went this way in the late 90s. Without a bridge I'd say a crossing of Fordyce Creek is out of the question.

There is a bridge over Fordyce Creek. It's accessed via a trail that picks up just past the isthmus between two of the lakes. Approximate location in attached image.

Screen Shot 2017-07-05 at 12.33.35 PM.png

I agree, the 4WD trail into Eagle Lakes is probably a wet mess right now.

[MarcoG]

Can someone update us as to road opening to Grouse Ridge campground and conditions of trails : Grouse ridge trail down to Beyers lakes, then Baltimore to Glacier lake? Anyone ever done that route ? ?looks like it involves some off trail navigation. Looking to do this in about 2 weeks.. Please advise.

[Gazelle]

Beyer lakes to Glacier lake I have done off trail a couple of times very rocky on the Beyer lakes side and probably LOTS of snow on the Glacier lake side and decently steep make sure to go down that side later in the day so it will be softer or have some traction devices etc. Don't know if Grouse ridge road is open yet?

[MarcoG]

Thanks for the response.

[Gazelle]

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Kristine

[MarcoG]

Great photo of Beyers. Appreciate seasonal info on north side of Buttes, was last there 15-20 years ago, could not recall what month.