Hiking the Beaten Path Trail (East Rosebud to Clarks Fork) in the Beartooth Mountains, Montana
Distance: 28.8 miles / 46.3 km
The Beaten Path Trail in the Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness of southern Montana is a stunning multi-day adventure through the heart of the Beartooth Mountains that combines both the East Rosebud Trail near Red Lodge on the northern end and the Russell Creek Trail off the Beartooth Highway near Cooke City on the southern end, passing a number of beautiful, glacial-fed alpine lakes, towering peaks, and countless waterfalls along the way!
That said, there is a lot to consider when planning the Beaten Path Trail, including what month to visit during the summer, which trailhead to begin from, how many days to plan on the trail, and whether to stage a car versus reserving a shuttle.
This is why I highly recommend reading my thoughts in the following sections in detail, as I believe there is much more to think about in order to have a great time, instead of just planning to hike south to north because it’s 'mostly downhill.'
My Print - Rainbow Lake
Is it Better to Begin at East Rosebud or Clarks Fork?
First and foremost, the Clarks Fork Trailhead is roughly 1,710 ft. (521 m) higher than the East Rosebud Trailhead, and it is for this reason alone that the vast majority of hikers opt to start at the southern trailhead and hike north.
That said, I want to provide a different perspective, starting with the fact that both trails are uphill until they eventually meet at the high point on the west side of Fossil Lake.
To get to this point, the Russell Creek Trail gains roughly 1,970 ft. (600 m), while the East Rosebud Trail gains about 3,675 ft. (1,120 m).
This, again, is why most hikers prefer to begin from Clarks Fork, but I still don’t believe these numbers provide the full picture of things to consider.
By this, I mean that crowds are one thing to keep in mind. The Beaten Path certainly is not the Havasupai Trail in Arizona or the Enchantments in Washington, but it is a popular adventure by Montana standards. This means that if you choose to hike from south to north, as most do, you’re going to be following the same general itinerary as most groups—especially if you choose to make a long weekend of it.
However, our group purposefully started from East Rosebud on a Thursday morning, which really meant we were always getting to campsites when groups hiking in the opposite direction were packing up and leaving!
This is one main reason I’ve always chosen to hike the Beaten Path from north to south over multiple trips, but what’s perhaps even more important, the uphill is easy!
Yes, over multiple trips on the Beaten Path with completely different groups, no one has ever complained about the uphill because all the elevation change is spread out over long distances, which is to say there really aren’t any steep sections!
It’s for all these reasons that I have and always will hike the Beaten Path from north to south in the future—especially when the trip is planned over a weekend!
How Long is the Beaten Path Trail?
Since many hikers break up the Beaten Path Trail with different stops over different timelines, I’ve broken down each section to help you plan your adventure.
Bear in mind that each segment is only the Beaten Path Trail to the first place the trail encounters a lake or the junction for the lake’s campsites—not any additional hiking that may be required to reach a specific campsite.
East Rosebud Trailhead to Elk Lake: 3.4 miles (5.5 km)
Elk Lake to Rimrock Lake: 2.5 miles (4.0 km)
Rimrock Lake to Rainbow Lake Campsites: 2.0 miles (3.2 km)
Rainbow Lake Campsites to Lake at Falls: 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
Lake at Falls to Duggan Lake: 3.0 miles (4.8 km)
Duggan Lake to Dewey Lake: 2.2 miles (3.5 km)
Dewey Lake to High Point (Fossil Lake): 3.6 miles (5.8 km)
High Point (Fossil Lake) to Bald Knob Lake: 1.7 miles (2.7 km)
Bald Knob Lake to Ouzel Lake: 0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Ouzel Lake to Russell Lake: 1.7 miles (2.7 km)
Russell Lake to Fox Lake Junction: 2.5 miles (4.0 km)
Fox Lake Junction to Kelsey Lake: 2.7 miles (4.3 km)
Kelsey Lake to Clarks Fork: 1.5 miles (2.4 km)
Total Distance (One Way): 28.8 miles (46.3 km)
Beaten Path Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Beaten Path Trail is located at either the East Rosebud Trailhead at the northern terminus or the Clarks Fork Trailhead off the Beartooth Highway, just outside of Cooke City.
Regardless of which direction you decide to begin, both trailheads are generally passable for most 2WD vehicles, granted that the roads are snow-free.
Google Maps Directions: East Rosebud Trailhead / Clarks Fork Trailhead
Hiking Checklist - Beartooths
Obviously, for camping, you will need general backpacking gear. For this reason, I wrote a separate post about what backpacking gear is worth the money, from my experience, and what the best alternatives are to save you money.
Read My Separate Post: Best Ultralight Backpacking Gear
In addition, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike in the Beartooth Mountains, including bear spray, as the Beartooth Mountains are home to both Black Bears and Grizzlies.
Hiking the Beaten Path Trail
East Rosebud Trailhead
After staging a car at Clarks Fork the day before and spending the night in Red Lodge, we drove to the East Rosebud Trailhead to begin hiking The Beaten Path from north to south.
As previously mentioned, this is not the most common direction hikers opt for, but north to south has always been my preferred direction over multiple trips on The Beaten Path, for the reasons mentioned above.
When hiking The Beaten Path from south to north, this long section through the dense Lodgepole Pine forest tends to feel long and tedious, similar to the sections on the south side between the Fox Lake junction and Clarks Fork.
The granite hill that can be seen in the distance is one of the most popular day-hiking destinations between the East Rosebud Trailhead and Elk Lake, 3.4 miles (5.5 km) in.
This is the view looking back at East Rosebud Lake, located roughly 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from the East Rosebud Trailhead.
This overlook, at roughly 0.9 miles (1.4 km) into the East Rosebud Trail, is one of the most popular day-hiking destinations on the Beaten Path.
The sign, which is also found at the overlook, indicates that East Rosebud Creek in Montana's Beartooth Mountains is a federally designated Wild and Scenic River under the National Wild and Scenic Rivers System, a designation signed into law in August 2018 by then-President Trump.
After the beautiful, unnamed viewpoint of East Rosebud Lake, the views looking up East Rosebud Canyon start to open up much more than before, which is nice because the hike mentally moves much quicker compared to the dense forest from the beginning.
Arbsaroka–Beartooth Wilderness Boundary
This is where the East Rosebud Trail first enters the Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness.
This is where the East Rosebud Trail begins a series of eight short, back-to-back switchbacks, about 2.0 miles (3.2 km) from the beginning of Elk Lake.
This is the top of the eighth switchback.
This is where the Beaten Path Trail reaches the two isolated switchbacks following the series of eight mentioned previously.
If you’re visiting the Beartooth Mountains and hiking The Beaten Path for the first time, these views up East Rosebud Canyon may not look like more than a pristine, picturesque mountain landscape.
However, what’s less and less apparent as the years go on are the scars left behind from the devastating June 2022 floods that tore through East Rosebud Canyon, the town of Red Lodge, and parts of Yellowstone National Park just to the south.
The videos are truly something to see for themselves, as car-sized boulders were moved, bridges were ripped from their foundations, and many people, both hikers and residents, were stranded and required rescue as a result.
But despite all that happened over the course of about 48 hours, the community was resilient, meaning that if you didn’t know what East Rosebud Creek looked like before, you may not even notice the differences today!
Snow Creek
This is where the East Rosebud Trail crosses Snow Creek, roughly 0.9 miles (1.4 km) from Elk Lake.
Elk Lake
After roughly 3.4 miles (5.5 km), the East Rosebud Trail finally reaches Elk Lake, the second of 15 lakes along the Beaten Path between East Rosebud and Clarks Fork when hiking north to south.
That said, Elk Lake is also the best first place to set up camp along the East Rosebud side of the Beaten Path, but I personally recommend continuing farther because it is just too close to the trailhead to make it a good stopping point, in my opinion.
However, if you decide to continue farther, Rainbow Lake is the next best place to set up camp, as the only suitable places to set up camp at Rimrock Lake are located on the south side and are extremely limited since the canyon is so steep.
After leaving the initial shoreline of Elk Lake, the East Rosebud Trail continues around the south side and will reach this split almost immediately.
Once here, go right to continue on the Beaten Path, as the path to the left is the trail that leads up to the best campsites.
The dramatic cliff face on the left-hand side in the distance is where East Rosebud Canyon narrows significantly as it approaches Rimrock Lake.
That is also where the switchbacks begin on the hike up to Rimrock and Rainbow Lake beyond, which I believe are some of the most beautiful parts of the entire Beaten Path Trail!
These are the sections of The Beaten Path that I believe most closely resemble hiking through Yosemite Valley!
With about 0.3 miles (0.5 km) to go before The Beaten Path starts climbing the switchbacks up East Rosebud Canyon to Rimrock Lake, the trail begins navigating through a long section directly impacted by the rising floodwaters from the catastrophic flooding event that occurred in June 2022.
That said, the East Rosebud Trail has been cleared entirely, but the scars left on the landscape are very much evident and will be for decades to come!
Just imagine what it would have been like to stand here on that mid-June morning, as everything on the canyon floor was covered under a raging river!
This is where The Beaten Path Trail reaches the first of ten switchbacks on the hike up to Rimrock Lake, and one on the descent, as the trail drops down to the bridge that crosses East Rosebud Creek.
This is the third of ten switchbacks on the hike up to Rimrock Lake.
These are the sections that I previously mentioned that I believe to be among the most beautiful parts of the entire Beaten Path Trail!
This is East Rosebud Creek and the waterfall that pours out of Rimrock Lake.
This is where the East Rosebud Trail turns the sixth switchback before Rimrock Lake.
This is where The Beaten Path turns the tenth and final switchback on the climb up the narrowest parts of East Rosebud Canyon, meaning the first views of Rimrock Lake are just a short distance ahead!
Rimrock Lake
After 5.9 miles (9.5 km), the Beaten Path Trail reaches this view of Rimrock Lake, at which point the trail descends to a bridge that crosses to the other side of East Rosebud Creek.
This is what I meant about The Beaten Path turning one switchback after the ten prior to get to this point.
During the catastrophic June 2022 floods, this bridge across East Rosebud Creek disappeared, effectively closing The Beaten Path until it reopened in October 2025.
That said, two hikers, in two completely separate incidents, tragically lost their lives while attempting to cross East Rosebud Creek in the years immediately following the flooding.
One incident occurred in July 2024 and the other in June 2025, which hopefully helps illustrate how fast the water often rushes through this narrow crossing and why it’s never worth attempting to cross the creek if the bridge isn’t present.
Once on the west side of East Rosebud Creek, The Beaten Path will not cross again to the other side for the entire hike up to Fossil Lake, the origins of East Rosebud Creek.
This is where The Beaten Path passes the only suitable campsites at Rimrock Lake, about one-third of the way down the west side.
This is the view looking back at the best camping area along the west side of Rimrock Lake.
This is where The Beaten Path starts climbing up and away from the shores of Rimrock Lake as it ascends roughly 250 ft. (76 m) until it reaches the first views of Rainbow Lake ahead!
This is the sharp switchback on the southwest side of Rimrock Lake and the point where the East Rosebud Trail leaves Rimrock Lake on the hike up to Rainbow Lake, about 0.5 miles (0.8 km) away from this point.
Rainbow Lake
This is where the East Rosebud Trail first reaches Rainbow Lake, meaning there is only another 0.8 miles (1.3 km) to go until the Rainbow Lake campsites, located on the far southwest side of the lake.
The Beaten Path Trail (East Rosebud)
Rainbow Lake Campsites
After 7.9 miles (12.7 km), the East Rosebud Trail finally reaches the campsites on the far side of Rainbow Lake.
That said, the Rainbow Lake campsites are one of the biggest and most popular places to set up for the night, mostly because Rainbow Lake is either a first stop on the hike in or the last stop on the hike down to East Rosebud Lake.
In any case, places to camp can be found on both sides of the trail, with none being better or worse, in my opinion. I think it just depends on how far you’re looking to be from the shoreline.
If you’re going to throw a bear bag, know how to hang it in free space before arriving—don’t just suspend it!
In fact, right before we hiked in, we were told a group had their food stolen one night for doing just that.
If you aren’t confident with hanging a proper bear bag or are planning to camp above tree line at Fossil Lake, a bear can is a good way to go!
Rainbow Lake
This is the far southwest side of Rainbow Lake looking northeast down the East Rosebud drainage.
After our first night at Rainbow Lake, we packed and continued up the East Rosebud Trail to Dewey Lake, roughly 6.7 miles (10.8 km) away.
This is where The Beaten Path Trail turns the first of 13 switchbacks on the hike up to Lake at Falls.
This is where the East Rosebud Trail turns the fifth switchback on the climb up to Lake at Falls.
This is where the East Rosebud Trail turns the 13th and final switchback on the hike up to Lake at Falls.
Lake at Falls
After 9.4 miles (15.1 km) from the East Rosebud Trailhead or just 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the campsites at Rainbow Lake, The Beaten Path Trail finally reaches Lake at Falls, one of the most beautiful alpine lakes on the hike, in my opinion.
From here, The Beaten Path continues up to 3.0 miles (4.8 km) to Duggan Lake and 5.2 miles (8.4 km) to Dewey Lake.
Big Park Lake
Big Park Lake is a quiet little lake between Lake at Falls and Duggan Lake.
That said, I have never seen another group set up anywhere near Big Park Lake, likely because both Rainbow Lake below and Dewey Lake above are two of the best places to camp on The Beaten Path!
Granite Creek
This is where The Beaten Path crosses Granite Creek.
This is where The Beaten Path Trail makes a sharp turn to the west to begin paralleling East Rosebud Creek once again, roughly 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from Duggan Lake.
Duggan Lake
After 12.4 miles (20.0 km) since leaving the East Rosebud Trailhead, The Beaten Path reaches Duggan Lake, the first of three back-to-back alpine lakes below Fossil Lake.
That said, there is a stunning waterfall that drains into Duggan Lake from Twin Outlets Lake, known as Impasse Falls, and I mention this because it is a fairly easy hike to get to if you are interested in reaching the bottom.
If not, there are also stunning views of Impasse Falls from the trail just ahead.
This is where the East Rosebud Trail turns up and away from Duggan Lake to begin ascending nine switchbacks on the hike up to Twin Outlets Lake.
This is where Beaten Path Trail turns the fifth switchback, which is the point where the hike passes the best views of Impasse Falls from the trail just ahead!
Impasse Falls
Impasse Falls is a 190-ft. (58 m) waterfall between Duggan and Twin Outlets Lake, and it is one of the most picturesque waterfalls on The Beaten Path, in my opinion, because of how beautiful and accessible the views are from both the base and above!
After Impasse Falls, the Beaten Path Trail ascends four more switchbacks on the hike up to Twin Outlets Lake.
Twin Outlets Lake
This is the beginning of Twin Outlets Lake, meaning there are roughly 0.9 miles (1.4 km) left until The Beaten Path finally reaches Dewey Lake, which is arguably the most beautiful of the 15 alpine lakes on the full hike!
Dewey Lake
This is where the East Rosebud Trail first reaches the northeast side of Dewey Lake.
That said, Dewey is one of the most popular campsites on The Beaten Path because it is arguably the most beautiful of the 15 alpine lakes that the trail passes!
However, my group of three did not have any difficulty finding a good place to set up camp on this hike because, as previously mentioned, we were staggered by one day in our itinerary from most people making a long weekend out of The Beaten Path, meaning we arrived at Dewey on a Friday, which is a bit too far into the hike for most people starting on a Friday to call Dewey Lake their first stop.
The East Rosebud Trail wraps around the north side of Dewey Lake, which is where most of the best campsites are found.
This was our campsite on the west side of Dewey Lake, which I loved because the cliffs on this side of the lake were perfect for jumping in after the long hike up from Rainbow Lake to get here!
As The Beaten Path approaches Fossil Lake, the alpine tundra and wildflowers throughout make the Beartooth Plateau one of the most beautiful sections of the entire trail!
This is where the East Rosebud Trail crosses the unnamed creek that flows out of Oly Lake.
This is where Fossil Lake can be seen from The Beaten Path for the first time!
Fossil Lake
This is where the East Rosebud Trail first reaches the north side of Fossil Lake, which it will parallel for about the next 1.0 mile (1.6 km) until it climbs up and away toward the high point and the Russell Creek side of The Beaten Path.
This is where the East Rosebud Trail passes the northernmost reaches of Fossil Lake.
Is Fossil Lake a Good Place to Camp?
Fossil Lake and the greater Beartooth Plateau are certainly beautiful places to camp, but I think answering this question depends on weather, days planned on the trail, and your food storage strategy.
By this, I mean that if the weather is at all chancy, meaning there is a possibility of thunderstorms, the Beartooth Plateau is the last place you want to be, and that even goes for just hiking through it quickly if bad weather is forecasted. Seriously, take it from me, getting caught with lightning overhead in such an exposed environment is horrible! It has happened to me more times than I’d like to admit, and on one rare occasion in Idaho, one other person and I were knocked to the ground by a strike that hit just feet away!
I hope all that intimidates you a little because it should. Lightning is not a risk to take lightly.
The weather and your itinerary aside, bear canisters are required if you plan to camp at Fossil Lake, as there are no opportunities to hang a proper bear bag this high up. Note that hikers have encountered Grizzlies on the plateau before, but proper food storage even helps with Marmots!
This is where the East Rosebud Trail turns sharply to the west as it begins heading directly toward the high point and the beginning of the Russell Creek Trail, about 0.4 miles (0.6 km) away.
This is where the East Rosebud Trail leaves Fossil Lake behind, beginning the final 0.25-mile (0.4 km) section up to the high point!
East Rosebud-Russell Creek Junction (High Point)
After 18.2 miles (29.3 km), the East Rosebud Trail finally meets the Russell Creek Trail!
That said, this junction is also the high point on The Beaten Path at around 9,935 ft. (3,028 m), meaning the vast majority of the hike from this spot to Clarks Fork is downhill!
The descent begins immediately after starting the Russell Creek side of The Beaten Path, which is nice because the hike down to Bald Knob Lake feels so easy compared to everything up to this point!
As the Russell Creek Trail passes the first alpine tarn beneath the high point, a number of peaks can be seen off to the northwest.
That said, the most prominent peak on the left side of the photo below is Mt. Villard, but the peak that can barely be seen on the right-hand side is Granite Peak, the highest peak in Montana and one of the hardest state high points to climb, next to Gannett Peak in Wyoming!
This is where The Beaten Path starts paralleling Russell Creek for the frist time.
Russell Creek
This is where The Beaten Path crosses Russell Creek just above Skull Lake.
Skull Lake
This is where the Russell Creek Trail passes Skull Lake, the 11th of 15 alpine lakes on The Beaten Path, roughly 0.8 miles (1.3 km) below the high point.
That said, Skull Lake is not the most popular place to set up camp because Bald Knob Lake, about 0.9 miles (1.4 km) ahead, is easily one of the most picturesque lakes on The Beaten Path!
This is the final descent on the hike to Bald Knob Lake.
Bald Knob Lake
When hiking The Beaten Path from north to south, as outlined here, Bald Knob and Ouzel Lake, just a few steps away, are often seen as the second-to-last options for places to set up for the night, with Russell Lake being the last.
This is because, after Russell Lake, The Beaten Path is truly one long tree tunnel, meaning there really aren’t great options to make camp as there are between Rainbow Lake and Russell Lake.
That said, the question should really be: How long do you want your last day to be?
The distance between Bald Knob Lake and Clarks Fork is 8.9 miles (14.3 km), while Russell Lake to Clarks Fork is 6.7 miles (10.9 km).
Our group opted to camp at Russell Lake, but I think Bald Knob and Ouzel are two to seriously consider because they are both incredibly beautiful!
On the far side of Russell Creek, go left at the split to continue hiking the Russell Creek Trail toward the best Bald Knob campsites and Ouzel Lake farther down the trail.
Russell Creek-Bald Knob Campsites Junction
Shortly after crossing Russell Creek, The Beaten Path passes the junction for the trail that leads to the best campsites at Bald Knob Lake, about 0.2 miles (0.3 km) off the main trail on the southeast side.
After the Bald Knob Lake campsites, there is less than 0.2 miles (0.3 km) on The Beaten Path until the trail reaches Ouzel Lake.
This is why I believe both Bald Knob and Ouzel should be considered at the same time when looking for a good place to camp if you want to stay the night up here, as opposed to Russell Lake below.
Ouzel Lake
This is Ouzel Lake, located just a short distance down Russell Creek from Bald Knob Lake.
That said, I think it’s certainly a good debate regarding whether Bald Knob or Ouzel Lake is more beautiful, but again, it’s easy enough to check out both before making your decision because it takes so little time to hike between the two!
Russell Creek-Mariane Lake Junction
At the bottom of the steep descent, The Beaten Path Trail crosses Russell Creek and immediately meets the junction for Mariane Lake.
Once here, go right to continue on The Beaten Path, and the Russell Creek Trail will start passing Russell Lake and the campsites in less than 0.1 miles (0.2 km).
Russell Lake
As The Beaten Path makes its way down the west side of Russell Lake, the trail passes all the best campsites at Russell Lake on the right-hand side of the trail, between the trail and Russell Creek.
Much like the campsites at Rainbow Lake, Russell Lake is one of the bigger camping areas along The Beaten Path, as it is seen as the last best place to stay the night before hiking out to Clarks Fork.
This was our last campsite on this hike from East Rosebud to Clark Fork, meaning that once we packed up after sunrise, we had roughly 6.7 miles (10.9 km) left to get to our staged car just outside of Cooke City!
This is where The Beaten Path leaves Russell Lake behind.
Russell Creek
This is the third and final time The Beaten Path crosses Russell Creek on the hike down to Clarks Fork.
This descent into the canyon after Russell Lake is surprisingly one of the most beautiful parts of The Beaten Path, similar to the section between Elk Lake and Rimrock Lake on the other side!
Please bear with me :)
