A late summertime storm recently swept through Montana, clearing the air and bringing beneficial rain to the region. These conditions were perfect for our 2-night backpacking adventure to Blue-green Lake from September 21-23, 2024. This marked my first experience in the Mission Mountains since climbing East and West St. Marys Peaks near St. Ignatius five years ago.
Early Riser
The turnoff to Blue-green Lake is 23 miles north of Seeley Lake. From Highway 83, it’s an 11-mile drive on rough gravel to the trailhead. By the time my friend Murray and I arrived around midday on Saturday, the parking lot was full—mostly day-hikers out enjoying the last day of summer. The hike to our campsite above Blue-green Lake was 6.3 miles with an elevation gain of 2,700 feet on a perfectly graded trail, offering spectacular scenery throughout. The hike took us about 3.5 hours. Upon arrival at the lake, we claimed one of the few ideal tent sites. There were four or five groups (2-5 people/group) of backpackers staying at the lake that night, so some groups had to pitch their tents on the rocks. Murray and I were the only ones who spent Sunday night at the lake.
Do You Believe in Goats?
The trail was excellent, and Blue-green Lake lived up to its name. However, the highlight of the journey came at 1:30 am on Sunday morning when our camp was visited by a mother mountain goat and her kid. The bright moonlight highlighted their shapes, giving them a ghostly appearance as they stood on the ledge above our tents. It turns out they crave the salts in our urine, so they were there to lick up our pee. It sounds kind of gross, but we sure enjoyed watching them! Four goats showed up around the same time the next night to slurp up their reward.
Exploration Day
Lakes are fantastic destinations for backpacking trips, but no trip is complete without bagging a peak. On Sunday, Murray and I set off to explore the south side of the lake with the goal of climbing onto a ridge or mountain that would offer us a view of the higher area. We ended up climbing an un-named peak between the remnants of two glaciers. From there, we had a stunning view of the lake below and McDonald Peak in the distance. The hike was challenging—5.5 miles round trip with no trail, constant bush-whacking, scrambling up and down steep slopes all day, rock-hopping, and plenty of scree. I’m glad we did it, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. If you’re keen to explore, climb as far as you can on the north side of the lake. Now go enjoy the photo tour, and make sure to check out the captions!
FYI— I have an Instagram account. I’ll try to post something interesting at least once a week. Check it out: rodbenson406 Below:
This map marks hikes that have been featured on bigskywalker.com so far, including several in Glacier Park—select full screen to expand, zoom for more details, or click a marker for a link to the post.