West Rosebud Trail to Mystic Lake

Before traveling anywhere, I like to have an itinerary on hand with lists of top hikes in each area. For Billings, Montana, Mystic Lake was # 1 on my list. I did some quick research on the weather, the terrain, and the surrounding cities to prepare. Unfortunately, I was still so underprepared. Here’s what to expect if you go to Beartooth Mountains in late May:

It’s 90 degrees at 7 AM, storming at 10 AM, snowing at 12 PM , and 75 degrees at 4 PM.

Alejandro and I set off from Billings, MT to Red Lodge at 8AM - a little over an hour drive. If you have time, I recommend grabbing breakfast at Red Lodge Cafe! The food and service was amazing and it’s tucked in between gift shops to grab your souvenirs from.

When we arrived in Red Lodge, it was pouring rain. We had layers for our morning walk through the town, but for our hike. . . We had no proper gear. The locals let us know the weather there is highly unpredictable, and it is most likely snowing in the mountains. Luckily, Red Lodge has a snow shop on every corner. We hopped through each shop, grabbing gloves, masks, and extra layers.

We were actually talked to against hiking through the snow, as no one there does it due to its dangers. We obviously did not listen. We were very determined to get to Mystic Lake, even if it was covered.

“How do I tell mosquitos that I don’t consent”

We headed off to the trailhead around 11 AM, a bit behind schedule. We still had around an hour drive and the weather was getting colder. On the way down W Rosebud Road, we stopped off to take in the landscape.

We arrived 2 hours behind schedule due to us taking in every part of our drive. Montana is by far one the prettiest, most peaceful states I’ve ever been to.

We arrived to the trailhead by 12 PM. We had no idea what to expect with the snow now being a factor. Regardless of the weather, we were so excited to see what was in store for our first hike.

Get ready for an overload of pictures.

First stop, barely 0.1 into the hike was this amazing rail structure that you can read about in the picture above. It starts at the beginning of the the trail and ends at the lake. Standing over it was surreal. It looked like it could reach heaven.

Because of the heavy snow, we weren’t concerned about seeing any bears, moose, or dear. We did see a few rabbits and bear scratches on tree trunks, but that was all. We did think we were going to lose the trail quite a few times, but it was more carved out than we thought. Even knee deep in the snow, it was easy for us to find our way through.

In the beginning, the trail was decently straight with slight inclines every now and then. You walk along the creek a few times with huge boulders to hop around on. Please wear non-slip hiking boots or grip shoes! The amount of times Alejandro slipped and almost hit his head is too many to count on both hands.

After about an hour and a half of treading through snow, we both noticed we were approaching a boulder wall. . . In normal circumstances, this is dangerous and we always want to be cautious. Now imagine my horror when I realized not only is it completely covered in snow, but we can’t see where we’re stepping. Yay!

Zig-zagging up the wall definitely took a bit longer than anticipated. We didn’t want either of us falling through a covered hole or slipping off of a rock.

After conquering the wall, we were about 3 hours into the hike and still no sign of the lake. We could hear the water rushing below us, but we were getting discouraged. The snow started melting, we had no service, and we were waaaay behind schedule. It was roughly 3 PM. If we didn’t find the lake and head back soon, it would be too dangerous to continue considering how far out we were (or thought).

We reached the very top of the mountain. It was almost 4 PM, so we made a game plan: Round this mountain top’s corner and if we still can’t see the lake, head back. Obviously that is the last thing anyone wants - to get so far and never see what you came for. But with losing daylight and the snow turning to mush, it wasn’t the safest idea to continue.

And with that last corner rounded, we made it! If you look at the center right/bottom right, you can see the end of the tracks and the dam. Our last step was hiking down the mountain to reach the edge of the lake. This was the hardest part of the entire hike.

This part down the mountain side was rockier and more unsteady than the boulder wall. Watch your step down this part!

Quick prayer before I stopped to take in the view. With all the obstacles, we made it and I was so grateful to finally take in all the beauty that surrounded us.

The up close pictures aren’t the best, but you get it. How insane!

We sat for about 30 minutes. Took some pictures, ate some snacks, and just took in the scenery.

Heading back was slippery, but fun. The snow had almost completely melted, so caution was being taken as pools of water were rushing passed our feer. We made it back to the car by 6 PM.

On the way out of the mountains, we started seeing more animals out in the sun. The sky cleared and the drive home was beautiful.

This is the most memorable hike I’ve ever experienced and I 100% recommend it to anyone traveling through the southern part of Montana.

Check out my youtube video to see some clips of the hike!

West Rosebud Trail to Mystic Lake

Mount Tallac Trailhead