Timberline Lake Trail

Timberline Trail #12 is a 9-mile out-and-back from the signed Timberline Trailhead to Timberline Lake, with Lake Gertrude along the way. The lake is about 4.5 miles from the start. Allow about five hours; the climb is roughly 2,000 feet to nearly 9,600 feet, and the steepest grade comes early. This is a hard high-country hike.

The trail starts in the area burned by the 2008 Cascade Fire and climbs through it for about three miles before returning to forest. Young lodgepole pines are growing back across the burn, though the open stretch offers limited shade and few broad views. Raspberry plants line the first mile and can fruit around mid-August. Timberline Creek becomes audible near the one-mile mark; the first couple miles are dry, with creek crossings higher up.

At about three miles, Trail 12 meets Beartrack Trail #8. Stay straight on Trail 12 for Timberline Lake; Beartrack heads toward Silver Run Lakes and the plateau. Near mile four the route enters the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and reaches Lake Gertrude. Turning around there makes an approximately 8-mile round trip and skips the final lake basin.

Timberline Lake appears around mile 4.5 beneath Silver Run Peak and Silver Run Plateau. Steep rock walls, jagged outcrops, lingering snowfields, and a cascade entering from the west frame the basin. The tread fades near the lake, so treat it as the turnaround and return on Trail 12. From the shore, include both the water and the enclosing rock walls for a sense of the basin's scale.

West Fork Road leads to the signed Timberline Trailhead; the Forest Service directions give 11.1 road miles from US 212. The lot has ample parking, limited room for horse trailers, and a vault toilet. The Forest Service does not list potable water for the drainage. Its page does not state a dog rule, so confirm that with the ranger district before bringing a pet.