Beartooth Highway, MT · WY
A steep creekside climb to a high alpine lake.
Overview
Map & elevation
Plan your hike
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Beartooth Highway Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Beartooth Highway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Beartooth Highway audio tourMore stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Zimmer Creek Trail #574 is a difficult 1.4-mile point-to-point climb from the junction with Lady of the Lake Trail #31 to Zimmer Lake. It gains about 900 feet, with a 13% average grade in the published route profile. Hike the segment out and back for about 2.8 miles; allow around 2.5 hours for #574 itself, plus any time needed to reach the junction on #31.
The #574 begins at a wilderness junction, not a verified roadside trailhead. Forest Service mapping places it where the route meets Trail #31. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks lists a five-mile access to Zimmer Lake from Goose Lake Jeep Trail, with four miles on trail, but doesn't say whether that's one way or round trip. Parking and the exact approach to the junction weren't confirmed, so check a current Forest Service map before setting out.
The Forest Service describes #574 as continuing north from Trail #31 to Zimmer Lake. The mapped line follows Zimmer Creek and stops about 100 meters short of the shoreline. That final short approach isn't clear in the available geometry, so confirm it on a current map before treating the lake as a sure turnaround. This is short on mileage but steep enough to be a tough choice for a casual lake stroll.
Wildlife
42 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
49 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
122 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
260 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
16 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Beartooth Highway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ChallengingGrasshopper Glacier Trail5.8 mi · 6 hr · 1.5 mi awayHigh-country ridge hike with alpine lakes and a 1914 locust mystery.
ChallengingLower Aero Lake Trail11.3 mi · 7.5 hr · 4 mi awayA long climb to an island-studded lake beneath sharp alpine peaks
ModerateCompanion Lake Trail7.5 mi · 4 hr · 4 mi awayA high alpine lake at the end of a long forest approach.
EasyLady of the Lake Trail #314 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.1 mi awayA creek bridge and old cabin lead to an alpine lake.
ModerateHenderson Mountain Trail #5792.9 mi · 1.5 hr · 4.8 mi awayA short, high-country walk above Cooke City.
ChallengingLost Wolverine Trail #11311.7 mi · 7.5 hr · 4.8 mi awayA high-country traverse to Wolverine Pass through wildflower meadows.
ModerateBlack Warrior Trail #5781.9 mi · 1.5 hr · 5.7 mi awayA rough-track climb from Miller Creek Road to near Daisy Pass.
EasySoda Butte Creek Trail2.5 mi · 1.5 hr · 5.7 mi awayA short historic-route walk on gravel east of Cooke City.
Campground · 5.1 mi awayColter CampgroundA hard-sided-only campground two miles east of Cooke City.
Campground · 5.6 mi awaySoda Butte CampgroundA quiet, wooded base near Cooke City and Yellowstone’s northeast entrance.
Picnic area · 5.9 mi awayClarks Fork Picnic AreaA riverside pause with a little highway and flume history.
Store · 6.2 mi awayCooke City StoreA working mercantile still uses its hand-crank cash register.
Visitor center · 6.3 mi awayCooke City Visitor Center and MuseumNine touchscreens bring Cooke City's local history to life.
Campground · 9 mi awayFox Creek CampgroundSleep under conifers with Pilot and Index Peaks in view.Parkwolf’s Beartooth Highway ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
