Lava lake Near Bozeman

Comprising the northern end of the spectacular Madison Range, the Spanish Peaks lie north of the Big Sky resort, and are part of the Lee Metcalf Wilderness, which means the trails are restricted to foot or horse use only so you won’t be sharing the trail with off-road vehicle users. With a host of lakes tucked into cirques below 10,000’ peaks, and an extensive network of trails, you could easily spent a month or two exploring. Unfortunately, I realize you probably don’t have that kind of time available, but luckily the Spanish Peaks also have trails very well suited to day hikes. By far the two most popular trailheads are the Spanish Creek trailhead on the north end of the Peaks and the Lava Lake (Cascade Creek) trailhead along the east side. These two trailheads are utilized by around seventy percent of the visitors to the area, so I wouldn’t count on solitude on summer weekends, but it’s certainly not like you’re going to have to take a number and wait your turn to hike, either. We’ll return to Spanish Creek another day, but first let’s take a hike up to Lava Lake, arguably the most popular day-hiking destination in the entire area.

The trail to Lava Lake follows a very obvious route without any potentially confusing intersections, so unlike the vast majority of other hikes, it is not absolutely essential to have a map. Having one adds to the enjoyment, though, and if nothing else is vastly entertaining to study at home or in camp. Perhaps the most useful map for the Spanish Peaks, amazingly enough, is the Spanish Peaks Wilderness map, available from the USFS Bozeman Ranger District office at 406-587-6920. If you wish to have more detailed maps, the standard for backcountry aficionados are the USGS 1:24000 topographical maps, available from http://mapping.usgs.gov/mac/findmaps.html. For the trail to Lava Lake you need the Hidden Lake quadrangle map, and if you wish to venture beyond the lake on the routes described subsequently, you will need the Garnet Mountain and Gallatin Peak maps.