Arrow Lake Trail

Arrow Lake Trail is a strenuous out-and-back from the Trout Lake Trailhead on North Shore Lake McDonald Road to the Arrow Lake backcountry campground. It is about 13.8 miles round trip (6.9 miles each way); plan on 10 to 12 hours if you do it in a day, or arrange a permitted overnight at the lake. The route climbs over Howe Ridge, drops to Trout Lake, follows its valley, then climbs again to Arrow Lake. This is remote bear country, so carry bear spray where you can reach it.

The trail climbs steeply from the road, gaining about 1,900 feet to Howe Ridge in just over two miles. Views open back toward Lake McDonald, Mount Brown and Cannon Mountain. At the junction, stay right toward Trout Lake; the old Howe Ridge fire trail continues as an unmaintained, overgrown route. Switchbacks lose about 1,200 feet to Trout Lake, with Rogers Lake visible below.

The trail runs near Trout Lake's shore for about two miles and crosses open avalanche slopes with views toward Stanton Mountain, Mount Vaught and McPartland Mountain. A final climb of roughly 650 feet through dense Douglas fir brings you to Arrow Lake campground near the lake's foot. The mapped trail continues toward Camas Lake, but this hike ends at Arrow Lake; the outlet ford is beyond the campground.

A small backcountry campground sits near the lake's foot. The rocky shoreline makes a strong foreground for the ridge reflected in the water. Staying overnight requires a Glacier wilderness permit.

Trout Lake was the site of one of Glacier's fatal grizzly attacks in 1967. Howe Ridge's forests were also shaped by the 2003 Robert Fire and the 2018 Howe Ridge Fire, which burned into part of the older fire's footprint. The route passes through a patchwork of older forest and regrowth.