The first few miles wind through the woods following Russell Creek, then it opens up around Kersey Lake before diving back into the trees. There are few markers along the trail, but the widest and most obvious trail is the one to follow. Stay straight until you see a sign for Russell Creek Trail, then follow that. The trail was a wide, well-traveled trail right from the start. If you hike from Clarks Fork to Rosebud, you’ll start on the Russell Creek trail (#3), until it becomes the East Rosebud Trail (#15), marked by a large cairn near Fossil Lake. Hiking from Clarks Fork to Rosebud involves ~1,700 feet less elevation gain than Rosebud to Clarks Fork, with the East Rosebud trailhead sitting at 6,280 feet, and Clarks Fork at 8,000 feet. Here are the details for this leg of the shuttle. Primitive camping is available at both Rosebud and Clarks Fork, and there were a fair amount of people sleeping in the back of trucks for a morning start. The Beartooth Pass takes you down to Cooke City, and the trailhead will be on your right a few minutes before town. You’ll go through Red Lodge, then over the Beartooth Pass (US 212), a high-elevation highway open limited months out of the year. Our Shuttle (Rosebud to Clarks Fork): ~2 hoursĪfter dropping the vehicle at Rosebud, drive back out the 12-mile dirt road, then take a right onto MT 78 S. The trailhead is about four miles east of Cooke City on the same road. The other option is to take I-90 East to Exit 408 for Columbus, then continue towards Red Lodge and over the Beartooth Highway. Technically, the shortest route to Cooke is through Yellowstone Park, but there is a $30 entry fee and lots of bison jams. Here are the directions to the lake itself, but remember the trailhead is up the road another quarter-mile.īozeman to Cooke City / Clarks Fork Trailhead: ~3.5 hours Stay on this road for 35+ miles, but don’t turn off to the lake-the trailhead is another minute up the road. Stay on MT-78 South until taking a right on East Rosebud Road. Head East on I-90 to Exit 408 for Columbus. We grabbed dinner in Cooke City (Get the wings at Miner’s Saloon!) and camped at the trailhead before hiking towards Rosebud in the morning. We hiked from Clarks Fork to Rosebud, so we left Truck A at Rosebud, then drove to Clarks Fork with Truck B-shuttle time was about six hours total from Bozeman. If you don’t set up a vehicle swap, you can do a two-car shuttle. Two groups of hikers can coordinate hiking direction, then trade vehicles in town or drive their own vehicle to the trailhead and swap keys mid-trail. This hike can be done from either end, which makes it prime for a vehicle swap. Top: Clarks Fork Trailhead by Cooke City.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |