Ole Creek Trail

From Lubec Trailhead to Walton Ranger Station, this is a roughly 25-mile one-way backcountry traverse over Firebrand Pass and down the Ole Creek valley. Allow about 16 hours for the trip; for most hikers, an overnight plan is more realistic than a single push. The listed itinerary gives 25 miles, while the mapped trail line measures about 22.9, so plan around the longer figure and check the current park map for the exact mileage. You need a shuttle or a second vehicle at Walton.

Lubec is on US Highway 2 near mile marker 203, with the signed trail access across the railroad tracks. The route starts through open meadows and aspen along Coonsa Creek, then passes through forest. At the Autumn Creek junction around mile 1.5, stay on the northbound branch; later, take the meadow junction toward Firebrand Pass. The climb reaches the pass at about 4.8 miles, with roughly 2,210 feet of gain. The descent into Ole Creek is steep and covered in loose scree.

Firebrand Pass opens a long view south down Ole Creek and across the mountains between the Ole and Park Creek valleys. It is the route's defining panorama and the best place to frame a photograph looking down the valley. Below the pass, the trail spends much of its length in lodgepole forest, with occasional views toward Mount Despair and Peak 8888. Ole Lake and its backcountry campground are about 8.4 miles from Lubec; mosquitoes can be heavy there in summer.

An unbridged Ole Creek ford comes around mile 13.4 and can be swift and cold early in the season. Ole Creek Campground and the Fielding Coal Creek junction are near mile 17.8. At the next junction toward Fielding and Coal Creek, continue straight to stay on the through route.

Around mile 23.9, turn left at the Boundary Trail junction toward Walton Ranger Station. The route crosses Ole Creek on a suspension bridge, then has about 1.1 miles left to the finish. Seasonal bridges on park trails are removed by late September, so check current trail status before relying on a crossing late in the season. Overnight backcountry camping requires a wilderness permit, and pets are not permitted on park trails.

The pass name recalls the 1910 fires, when burning branches blown over the pass inspired the term “firebrand”; about 120,000 acres burned in Glacier that year. If you want a shorter hike, Firebrand Pass is a 4.8-mile one-way climb from Lubec; turning around there makes a 9.6-mile out-and-back with about 2,210 feet of gain, rather than the full Ole Creek traverse.