Our last night in Montana was at Basin Creek Campground, only 15 minutes from Red Lodge. We did the 8 mile RT hike (2000 feet elevation gain) to Lower and Upper Basin Lakes. These lakes weren’t as scenic as other lakes we visited on this trip, but we still had a nice day on the trail. Remnants of the 2008 Cascade Fire were evident along parts of the trail and I liked the views in these open areas.

We had one last stop in the mountains before starting our journey home. We spent the morning in Red Lodge then drove the Beartooth Highway to Island Lake (just over the border in Wyoming in Shoshone National Forest). We have driven this highway multiple times and were looking forward to the views and maybe doing some short hikes along the way. But when we woke up in the morning it was smoky and it only got worse. The smoke was very heavy along the Beartooth Highway and the views were obscured; we didn’t bother stopping to hike or take pictures. Which is a shame because this is such a pretty drive!

Island Lake is another FCFS campground and there were a few spots to choose from when we arrived. After setting up and registering we planned to go for a walk around Island Lake, but when we got to the trailhead we found a sign that warned of a deer carcass on the other side of Island Lake and to beware of potential grizzly bear encounters. Mmmmm, pass. We decided to stick closer to the campground and found a spot along the shore to hang for a while and also walked along Little Bear Creek from our campsite. Despite the smoke, I did enjoy staying a night here as it is a spot we had visited on vacations past, so it was nice to revisit it and think of those memories.