Mystic Lake Montana

But enough history—let’s get back to the hike. Once you’re at Mystic Lake, why stop? The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness has over 700 miles of trails, and this is prime launchpad territory. Continue past the lake along faint paths or connect to other routes for multi-day adventures. Head toward Phantom Lake, loop over to East Rosebud, or just wander into the alpine tundra where grizzlies roam and mountain goats judge your life choices. The area is packed with glacial lakes, meadows, and peaks that make you feel tiny in the best way. Just pack bear spray, know your Leave No Trace, and don’t expect a Starbucks at the summit.

Pro tips for the Mystic trek:

• Go early summer to late fall—snow can linger, and the road to the trailhead is gravel (high-clearance recommended).
• It’s moderate, but the elevation gain hits if you’re from sea level. Hydrate like your pride depends on it.
• Fishing is decent (cutthroat trout, mostly), but check regs.
• The dam and powerhouse are right there—feel free to glare at them sarcastically while snapping ironic selfies.

So yeah, hike to Mystic Lake: stunning views, solid workout, and a front-row seat to early-20th-century hubris that turned a mountain lake into a power plant’s piggy bank. It’s Montana wilderness—beautiful, rugged, and quietly mocking our attempts to “improve” it with concrete. Go see it before the next CEO needs a dam named after them

Connecting Trails From Mystic Lake

Once passing Mystic Lake Dam, another half mile down the lake is the junction of Phantom Creek Trail Seventeen, takes you up over a pass and down to East Rosebud Lake where it ends or continue on to Granite Peak or Cook City Montana.  Down the trail as you reach the end of Mystic Lake is Huckleberry Creek Trail to the east.  Huckleberry Creek Trail climbs up to no surprise Huckleberry and ending at Princess Lake. Continuing on up West Rosebud Trail you will come to and pass Island Lake, so named for it’s island.  Trail ends at Silver Lake, that being said the Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness is the land of lakes and granite peaks, a most amazing adventure.

Phantom Lake—the sneaky little high-alpine gem that hides in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness like it’s too cool to be on most people’s radar. If Mystic Lake is the popular kid everyone hikes to for selfies with the dam backdrop, Phantom Lake is the mysterious cousin who shows up unannounced and steals the show with zero effort. It’s higher, quieter, and comes with a side of “did I just earn this?” suffering that makes the views taste sweeter.

Now, let’s be real: there’s no single, neatly signed “Phantom Lake Trail” that gently strolls you there like a Disney ride. The name floats around because the lake sits up in the Phantom Creek drainage, and getting to it usually means committing to some serious leg day via one of two main approaches. The most common (and sarcastic-friendly) way for folks coming from the Mystic Lake side is to start at the West Rosebud Trailhead (#19), hike to Mystic, then branch onto Phantom Creek Trail #17 and keep climbing like your self-respect depends on it. The other route comes up from East Rosebud Lake via the lower part of Phantom Creek Trail #17, which is steeper but shorter to the plateau area before side-hilling or scrambling to the lake itself.

The Classic Mystic-to-Phantom Route (Because Why Not Add Insult to Elevation?)

You already know the drill to Mystic Lake: 3 miles, ~1,400–1,650 ft gain, past the powerhouse (still mocking us with its 1920s concrete confidence), along the creek, through pines and wildflowers, until the lake appears like “surprise, you’re not done yet.” From the dam at Mystic’s east end, continue west along the south shore for about 0.5 miles—easy strolling, lake views on your right, maybe some trout mocking your fishing skills.

Then boom: junction for Phantom Creek Trail #17 on your left (roughly 3.5 miles from the trailhead total). Turn here and prepare for the real fun. The trail immediately starts switchbacking up the steep wall to Froze-to-Death Plateau—yes, that’s the actual name, because early explorers apparently had a flair for drama. We’re talking ~2,400–3,000 ft gain in just 2–2.5 miles of relentless zigzags (some count 26+ switchbacks). It’s the kind of climb where you stop every 10 steps, pretend to admire the view, and whisper “why do I do this to myself?” to the marmots.

Once you crest the plateau (around 10,000–10,500 ft), the grade eases into rolling alpine tundra. The views explode: back down to Mystic Lake looking like a turquoise puddle, across to jagged peaks, and out toward the West Boulder drainage. From here, Phantom Lake itself isn’t directly on the main Phantom Creek Trail—it’s a bit off-trail or via faint use paths/side routes up higher in the basin. The lake sits at about 9,394 ft, covers ~19.5 acres, and is a classic cirque lake ringed by cliffs and talus. Some folks describe staying near the cliffs and boulder-hopping the last 0.5 miles after good trail ends. It’s not a groomed path; it’s wilderness, baby—bring route-finding skills, a map (Gaia/GPX recommended), and zero expectations of handrails.

The East Rosebud Approach (Steeper, Shorter, More Masochistic)

If you’re starting from the Phantom Creek Trailhead near East Rosebud Lake (off East Rosebud Road out of Roscoe), you get the full Phantom Creek experience from the bottom. The trail climbs aggressively right away—think 1,000 ft in under 2 miles to start—passing Slough Lake (more of a wide spot in Phantom Creek than a proper lake) around 2.5 miles in. It keeps grinding up through forest, rock fields, and open slopes toward the plateau. Total to Mystic Lake this way is ~11 miles one way with big elevation, but to reach Phantom Lake, you’d contour or climb side drainages once near the high country. This route is popular for multi-day loops or Granite Peak attempts, but it’s steeper and often snowier longer into summer.

Why Bother with Phantom Lake?

Because after all that work, you get a serene, high-elevation tarn that feels genuinely remote. No dam, no crowds (usually), just wind, rocks, maybe mountain goats giving you side-eye, and water so clear you can see trout plotting against your fly box. It’s stocked or naturally has fish in some years (check current FWP regs), but mostly it’s about the raw alpine vibe—cliffs dropping into the basin, wildflowers in July/August, and that profound silence where you realize your phone is useless and that’s… nice?

Survival Tips

• Difficulty: Hard. The switchbacks don’t care about your gym PRs.
• Distance to Phantom Lake: From Mystic side, expect 7–9+ miles one way depending on how much wandering you do off-trail; 4,000+ ft total gain if you’re doing the full push.
• Best time: Mid-July to September. Snow lingers on the north-facing climbs into July.
• Prep: Bear spray (grizzlies love this area), layers (plateau wind is brutal), water filter (plenty of sources), and a sense of humor when your quads start screaming.
• Bonus: This is prime territory for looping back via other trails or pushing toward Granite Peak approaches—because nothing says “casual day hike” like turning it into a 20-mile sufferfest.

In short, Phantom Lake isn’t handed to you on a platter. You earn it with sweat, questionable life choices, and a willingness to laugh at how a tiny alpine puddle can make you feel both tiny and triumphant. If Mystic Lake is the gateway drug, Phantom is the harder stuff—the one that keeps you coming back for more punishment in the name of beauty. Go get humbled. It’s worth it.