Bottleneck Lake trail #187, ID

Overview: Easy hike to Bottleneck Lake in the Selkirk Mountains. Camping or fishing at the lake is an option or can be combined with Snow Lake Trail# 185 for a fairly easy 12.50-mile hike.


Hike: The trail starts next to a large, brown Forest Service sign and is easy to spot. The first 1.50 miles is a shared trail with Snow Lake Trail #185 on an old road. The incline is mild, and hiking the old road is easy. There are several water crossings, which are generally easy but may be more challenging during spring runoff. The largest crossing is Corner Creek.Not long after Corner Creek, at 1.50 miles, there is a signed junction. Stay right to continue on Bottleneck Lake Trail. The trail continues uphill on an old roadbed making a sharp U-turn north at first. Just before the next corner, there is an eroded area off the side of the trail, which almost looks like a small landslide. Just after that, the trail heads back to the south continuing uphill. Views open up as you climb higher, crossing Bottle Creek and other small streams along the way.

Bottleneck Lake doesn't appear until you are right on it, with Bottleneck Peak sitting prominently at the south end of the lake. There are a few campsites along the north side of the lake. Once done, retrace your steps back downhill, which is about as easy as hiking gets with a good trail the entire time.

2023-07-03 LindaAnn