Walk it Off: ‘On top of the world'

By Carrie Quigley - 08/26/2008

Stom Lake hike.

A few weeks ago, a reader had requested that I feature a hiking trail in the Anaconda, Georgetown Lake area. My experience in this area is limited to cross- country ski trails near Discovery and Echo Lake, which I thoroughly enjoy, but I thought it would be fun to see what the Pintler Wilderness Area had to offer, so I enlisted the help of one of my friends who lives in Anaconda. Without hesitating, Joyce offered to take a group of us "newbies" on one of her favorite hikes to a popular area among hikers called Goat Flat above Storm Lake.

On Sunday, our group (all novices with the exception of our generous guide) hiked 9 miles into the Anaconda Range and the Pintler Wilderness Area.

Our hike started with us meeting at the Thriftway at the west end of Anaconda, where we all loaded our packs into trucks and headed off toward Storm Lake. The turn off for Storm Lake is 11 miles from the Thriftway headed west toward Georgetown on the left (south) side of the highway. There is a brown Forest Service sign about an one-eighth of a mile ahead of the turn off that says Storm Lake — which is good, because the turn off is kind of hidden. From the turn off, Storm Lake is located 7.5 miles back on a dirt road that is suitable for trucks and high clearance SUVs. (I did see a RAV4 that made it up to the lake). I would not recommend driving a car up this road (unless you are looking for a good excuse to replace your oil pan). There is one "Y" in the road on the way up. You will want to stay to the left. Once you arrive at the lake your parking is located before the earthen dam on the right. We arrived early for our hike, but I understand that the parking area can fill up on the weekends. The trailhead is located across the earthen dam; there is a narrow cement walkway that crosses over a creek that gets you started on the trail.

The trail takes hikers around the west side of the lake and into the Pintler Wilderness Area. The hike begins with a nice easy incline, which offers hikers an opportunity to get warmed up before the incline up to Storm Lake Pass (it's 3.5 miles from the lake to the pass). The first two miles are pretty easy going, with the last mile to the pass increasing considerably on incline. Once we made it to the top of the pass, we took a breather and were relieved to hear two 20-something men huffing and puffing as they made it the last leg of the trail we had just climbed. (Sometimes in life, it's the little things that let us know we're doing all right!) Only we were just getting our second wind. The top of Storm Lake Pass looks out into a bowl and is absolutely beautiful. To the right was a rocky mountain called Mt. Tiny (a complete misnomer), which Joyce informed us would take us to Goat Flat and eventually to the Upper Seymore Lake Lookout. As it turns out, the trail continues across the belly of Mt. Tiny to Goat Flat, where on Aug. 24, 2008, my youngest daughter and I had a snowball fight!

For most people, hiking to Storm Lake Pass would be a good hike; those with no fear of heights might be content to take the trail across Mt. Tiny to Goat Flat. But for people looking to kick it up a notch, keep going! Follow the poles across the flat another mile to the Upper Seymore Lake overlook. Where, as the name describes, you can look down upon the Upper Seymore Lake. It was at this moment of our hike that I was certain that we were on top of the world! What a view. I have so many pictures and will post the best ones on the blog so you can see for yourself.

This hike is one where you really need to know your personal limitations and proceed accordingly. If you're just getting started, take the trail around the lake until it starts to incline. If you exercise regularly, try taking it to the top of the pass, and if you're an experienced hiker, take the final leg all the way down into the Upper Seymore Lake. Our group stopped at the top of the lookout, but we met a couple from Butte going onto the lake.

At the end of the day, four women ages 30-50 and two girls, 12 and 13, hiked into the area where we not only found some of the most beautiful sights in Montana, but we also found a confidence that we didn't know we were missing. What a gift. If you're looking to build your strength both inside and out, take a drive to Storm Lake and keep walking!