Printed July 10, 2026 03:04PM
I arrived in Kalispell, Montana, and wanted a plan. Initially, I’d meant to go backpacking in Glacier Nationwide Park with my accomplice. Nevertheless, resulting from a allow situation—learn: I found we didn’t have one—we would have liked to search out an alternate.
Fortunately for us, a pleasant native prompt we strive a path referred to as Stahl Creek within the close by Ten Lakes Wilderness Examine Space. It was about an hour drive north, previous the city of Whitefish, proper on the border with Canada. Atop Stahl Peak, the native stated, was a historic fireplace lookout cabin that backpackers can keep in on a first-come, first-served foundation. Better of all, it was an space that bought virtually no guests. So, our probabilities of getting the cabin to ourselves have been excessive.
That final half offered me. We loaded up the truck and headed north towards the Ten Lakes Wilderness Examine Space and the trailhead for Stahl Creek.
Ten Lakes Space: Public land within the far north
Protected for the reason that Nineteen Sixties, Ten Lakes Scenic Space within the Kootenai Nationwide Forest is 14,945 acres — small in comparison with its extra well-known, million-acre neighbor, Glacier Nationwide Park. The usage of automobiles and tools is strictly prohibited on this space, so that you gained’t run into OHVs of any sort. As a result of it’s a wilderness examine space inside a nationwide forest, you additionally don’t want a allow to camp in a single day.
I visited in June, when daylight lasts late into the night, and the humidity inside the space’s inland temperate rainforest is excessive. Under treeline, vegetation is thick, virtually impenetrable, with western redcedar and hemlock timber, satan’s thumb shrubs, skunk cabbage, and ferns. Moss and lichen carpet the rocks and tree trunks, and mushrooms come out from their bases. The air is thick like the within of a greenhouse.
Above treeline, you’re handled to spectacular views of the Whitefish Mountains, stretching north into Canada and south towards the city of Whitefish. The peaks, valleys, scallops, and cirques have been sculpted thousands and thousands of years in the past by huge glaciers which have lengthy since retreated or melted utterly.
Ten Lakes can also be house to a various array of wildlife — each giant and small. Grizzly bears, white-tailed deer, moose, pronghorn, cougars, lynx, and wolverines roam the backcountry. Bear canisters and bear security practices are required for backpacking within the space.
There are way over simply 10 lakes, too. Nearly each cirque has its personal alpine lake, stocked with cutthroat, rainbow, and brook trout.
Climbing to the Stahl Peak Hearth Lookout
The Stahl Creek path to the fireplace lookout is a 9-mile out-and-back. Nevertheless, there are different trails you’ll be able to hyperlink it to to make an extended itinerary (extra on these within the subsequent part), and others you’ll be able to strategy the lookout from.
Figuring out that we solely had a 4.5-mile hike to the lookout, we began round noon (large mistake). The hike begins within the rainforest and climbs up, punching by way of the timber to rocky talus slopes, providing sweeping views of the encircling mountains. With 2,440 toes of elevation acquire, it’s a difficult path, and I labored up a sweat. Afternoon thunderstorms are frequent within the space, so examine the climate and begin your hike early if rain is anticipated.
Should you’re hoping to sleep within the fireplace lookout, it’s good to begin early anyway. It’s a small, easy construction inbuilt 1926, and used till the ‘60s. Since then, it’s been a landmark for dayhikers and a spot to sleep for backpackers. It has a desk shelf, large open home windows, a loft, and two platforms for sleeping. As my native Kalispell good friend talked about, it’s out there on a first-come, first-served foundation for tenting.
As a result of we weren’t in a rush to get there, one other group of hikers (the one different group I noticed on the path all day lengthy) beat us to the lookout by mere minutes. We stopped on the lookout anyway, and made some small discuss, ate some snacks, and loved the beautiful views to the west. To the north, the Canadian border is lower than 10 miles away.
I used to be bummed we missed out on sleeping within the lookout, however, fortunately, as a Wilderness Examine Space, dispersed tenting is allowed. We discovered a great spot to look at the sundown, arrange camp, discovered a spot away from the tent for our meals, and established a 3rd location to prepare dinner dinner (bear security and all that).
Due to the lengthy summer season days on this a part of the U.S., the gradual sundown lasted virtually an hour. It wasn’t totally darkish till after 10 p.m. — an ideal bedtime to twist up within the tent with our books and go to sleep.
Different trails within the Ten Lakes Space
If you wish to lengthen your backpacking journey within the 10 Lakes Wilderness Space, you could have choices. Foremost amongst them is the Pacific Northwest Path (PNT), which passes simply west of Stahl Peak and continues north all the way in which as much as the Canadian border, earlier than crossing into Idaho, and ultimately Washington. You may simply entry this path from Stahl Peak (actually, should you strategy Stahl Peak from the west trailhead, you’ll hike on the PNT for a short while).
You may as well hyperlink up with the Huge Therriault Lake to Therriault Cross Loop path, a 4.9-mile path that really begins on the PNT simply west of Stahl Peak. It descends from Therriault Cross to Huge Therriault Lake, circles the lake, after which ascends again to the PNT. You possibly can feasibly begin your hike at this lake for a unique strategy to the Stahl Peak fireplace lookout.
Should you’d slightly go to the much less in style Little Therriault Lake from Stahl Peak, keep on the PNT mountain climbing west and go previous the turnoff for Huge Therriault Lake. Proceed on the PNT till you see the turnoff for Little Therriault Lake on the precise and make your descent.
Each Huge and Little Therriault Lakes have established campgrounds with potable water, vault bogs, and meals storage packing containers.
Greatest time to hike
Summer season (June to September) is one of the best time to go to the Ten Lakes Wilderness Examine Space. Within the winter, this a part of Montana will get loads of snow. That gained’t soften off utterly till June, and if it have been an enormous yr, elements of the path may stay lined till July.
We bought actually fortunate with our timing. June is just about the earliest month to hike right here, as snow is sort of a assure. I may see snow throughout my hike, and crossed one small patch of it, however was by no means impeded. Had we tried to hike in Might, that in all probability wouldn’t have been the case.
July and August will likely be sizzling and humid, however your probabilities of encountering snow will likely be a lot decrease. September is a good time to go to this space, as temperatures cool off. Nevertheless, you gained’t have these lengthy sunsets that final till 10 p.m.
