Lake Mary Trail #1B

This is an out-and-back day hike from West Fork Rock Creek Trailhead to Lake Mary: about 11.8 miles round trip by West Fork Trail #1 to Quinnebaugh Meadows, then the Lake Mary Trail #1B spur, returning the same way. Allow about six hours. The final 1.4 miles to the lakes climbs 800 feet, so this is a strenuous choice. If that last climb is too much, Quinnebaugh Meadows makes a natural turnaround at about nine miles round trip.

The approach follows the West Fork of Rock Creek. Calamity Falls is about 1.3 miles from the trailhead and Sentinel Falls about 1.8 miles in. The early stretch crosses open ground in the footprint of the 2008 Cascade Fire; after Sentinel Falls, living pine forest brings more shade. Smaller openings lead to broad Quinnebaugh Meadows, 4.5 miles from the trailhead.

At Quinnebaugh, turn onto Lake Mary Trail #1B; West Fork Trail #1 continues toward Sundance Pass and is a different, longer destination. The #1B spur climbs steeply for 1.4 miles, gaining about 800 feet. It switchbacks above the meadow, with openings back across the West Fork valley toward Whitetail Peak. Near the top, the route emerges by the outlet stream before crossing to the lake.

At the top, Lake Mary is split into upper and lower basins by boulders. The lower shore has grassy places to rest; the upper pool sits below a northern saddle. The valley drops steeply away to the south, back toward West Fork. The climb opens the view, but the shore is the payoff.

From U.S. Highway 212, follow West Fork Road. The Forest Service directions say pavement ends after 4.5 miles and the last 5.5 miles to the trailhead are dirt; a vault toilet is at the trailhead. The route is inside Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, so check current wilderness rules before setting out. Afternoon storms are common in the Beartooths, and the open burn area and high meadows offer little shelter.