Jeff Schmerker
Access to the Beartooth
Despite how tantalizing and huge the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness is, there are precious few ways to access it, especially in winter when no roads leading into the heart of the mountains are plowed. One way to get a taste of the area without undertaking what is basically an expedition is to cross-country ski into the mountains at Lake Fork, south of Red Lodge. Here, a plowed parking area and signed ski trail follow either a summer road or a creek-side trail several miles to the normal summer trailhead before pushing deeper into the mountains. This is big country, and while the famous spires of
The Beartooth Mountains are still miles off, it’s highly likely you’ll be the only one here and it’s possible to feel the solitude and wildness of the area.
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