Parking
Start at Rose Creek Trailhead on the west end of the Rising Sun Campstore/Rising Sun Motor Inn parking lot. A seasonal restroom is at the trailhead; the camp store and casual restaurant are beside the lot, not on the hike.
Overview
About Otokomi Lake Trail
Why go
- Rose Creek waterfalls and changing views break up the long ascent.
- A red-cliff lake makes a distinctive destination after the burn-scar meadows.
Heads up
- The 11-mile out-and-back requires a full day.
- The upper approach is steep and crosses loose scree.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Glacier map
Full mapElevation4,544–6,745 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Glacier alert
- ClosureTwo Medicine Campground closed for 2026 constructionTwo Medicine Campground is closed throughout 2026 because of construction in the Two Medicine developed area.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Glacier Tour Guide
Your drive to Otokomi Lake Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Glacier National Park. 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 Glacier audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Rising Sun: Food and Lakeshore0:00 / 0:31
“You're nearing Rising Sun, a useful place for a meal and a short walk by St. Mary Lake. Two Dog Flats Grill at the motor inn serves American comfort food, including build-your-own burgers, sandwiches, soups and salads.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Glacier Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Wild Goose Island Overlook
- A Homeland Across the Park Boundary
- How the Peace Park Began
- Sun Point's View and Vanished Chalets
- 204 audio storiesacross Glacier’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Wolverine, Mountain Goat, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 157 trails, 91 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Our first time to glacier and we used the audio portion for Going to the Sun Road. Wonderful information with perfect advice of what to see and do along the road.”
Trail guide
Hiking Otokomi Lake Trail
Take on the whole climbOtokomi Lake Trail is a hard out-and-back from Rose Creek Trailhead to a high lake under red…
Otokomi Lake Trail is a hard out-and-back from Rose Creek Trailhead to a high lake under red cliffs: 5.5 miles each way, 11 miles round trip. Allow 6 to 8 hours. The newer NPS trailhead page lists 2,497 feet of climbing and 548 feet of descent; the older district hiking list still says 1,900 feet of climbing, so treat the ascent as substantial rather than planning around an exact total. You return on the same corridor.
Rose Creek and the waterfallsThe route starts by Rising Sun's campground and store, then climbs through forest and berry…
The route starts by Rising Sun's campground and store, then climbs through forest and berry brush. Switchbacks gain height above Rose Creek; openings bring intermittent mountain and canyon views. Several waterfalls punctuate the climb, with short side viewpoints above the creek.
Through the fire scarThe trail crosses the Reynolds Creek fire scar from the 2015 fire.
The trail crosses the Reynolds Creek fire scar from the 2015 fire. The route opens into meadows and regrowth, then becomes steeper and rockier as it climbs toward the basin. About a mile before the lake, the trees thin and the destination comes into view.
The last miles and the lakeThe final two miles are the steepest, and the upper tread crosses loose scree.
The final two miles are the steepest, and the upper tread crosses loose scree. Near the end, the path follows the outlet creek for roughly the last 100 yards to Otokomi Lake. Red cliffs rise around the shore; on a calm, clear day they can reflect in the water. Cutthroat trout have also been photographed in the lake's clear shallows.
Start and restrictionsPark at Rose Creek Trailhead, at the west end of the Rising Sun Campstore/Rising Sun Motor Inn…
Park at Rose Creek Trailhead, at the west end of the Rising Sun Campstore/Rising Sun Motor Inn lot. A seasonal restroom is at the trailhead, with the camp store and a casual restaurant beside the lot rather than along the route. Pets are not permitted on Glacier trails. The park warns hikers to take extra care around water, steep drop-offs and wildlife.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Glacier
404 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
11 sightingsWolverineMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
1,173 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
1,000 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
395 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
506 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Glacier. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
