Continued from Waters We Fish

High Mountain Lakes

There are several good day hikes, close to Livingston, especially for people that are in good physical shape. Pine Creek Lake is only a five mile hike, but you climb 4,500 feet to get there!

The Beartooth-Absaroka wilderness area close to Livingston is rugged, but the country near Cooke City, up on the Beartooth Plateau, is flatter and easier hiking. Some of the best fishing in the Beartooths is above timberline. The Lake Plateau area, accessible from the Box Canyon trailhead near the head of the Main Boulder, is another one of our favorite spots. There are several back country outfitters that can take you on a traditional pack trip into the wilderness, for several days to a week, or you can have them pack you in, set up a drop camp for you, and then come back a week later and pick you up. This is a great way to do it, if you feel comfortable on your own.

Outlet of a high mountain lake in the Beartooth Mountains

The lakes and streams in the Lake Plateau area of the Beartooths hold mostly rainbow/cutthroat hybrids, but in some lakes you'll find pure rainbows, while other hold pure cuttthroats. These high lakes are restocked periodically, but streams that flow between the many lakes offer good spawning sites for wild fish. The hike into the Rainbow Lakes area is about 10-12 miles, and you climb a few thousand feet in elevation. From Lake Pinchot, it is a spectacular 6 mile hike into Lightning Lake, where you can catch pure golden trout.