Pitamakan Pass Trail

Pitamakan Pass Trail is a 15.2-mile out-and-back from North Shore Trailhead by Pray Lake in Two Medicine. It passes Oldman Lake, then climbs to a high saddle with alpine lakes in the Cut Bank drainage below. Expect about 2,400 feet of climbing and allow around eight hours. This is a hard, full-day hike. The route here turns around at Pitamakan Pass; continuing over the ridge toward Dawson Pass makes a different, longer loop.

From the campground by Pray Lake, cross the bridge and turn right toward Oldman Lake. The trail moves between forest and open avalanche chutes over a ridge of Rising Wolf Mountain, then drops into the Dry Fork drainage. A waterfall from Sky Lake is along the way. The grade is steady as you climb toward Oldman Lake; the final mile gets steeper and stays in the trees.

Oldman Lake is a good place to pause before the final push. From there, switchbacks climb nearly 1,000 feet to Pitamakan Pass. At the saddle, look down on the alpine lakes in the Cut Bank drainage. They make the clearest photo from this end of the hike. The long ridge traverse beyond the pass leads toward Dawson Pass and belongs to the loop, not this out-and-back.

Oldman Lake is 6.4 miles one way from North Shore. Turning around there makes a 12.8-mile day and skips the pass's steepest climb. Choose that version if you want the lake without the extra ascent.