Snowshoe Lakes
by Maggie Craig
August 28, 2010
A short hike into the Cabinet Mountain Wilderness Area with some mining history attached to it is the trail to Snowshoe Lakes above the old Snowshoe Mine. The tailings area of Snowshoe Creek has been reclaimed, and the road is now drivable to the trailhead. A sign has been erected at the trailhead detailing the mine history, and a short but steep hike from there takes you along the water pipeline route from the Snowshoe mill site to Lower Snowshoe Lake in the wilderness area. There are three lakes, and although none are as spectacular as their neighbor to the north, Leigh Lake, the upper lake provides some breathtaking scenery of its own. Lower Snowshoe Lake has obviously been altered for mining use, but the second lake, very close to the first, is a pretty little lake nestled among the trees and bedrock. The third, upper, lake is rather difficult to get to, with no identified trail evident. The entire trip to the upper lake (about 1 1/2 miles) took us about 2 1/2 hours, with several stops for picture-taking. Younger folks could do this hike in less time, even with the bushwhacking between the second and third lakes. The trip down was about an hour and a half.
To get to the trailhead, take Bear Creek Road (#278) off Highway 2 south of Libby and go three miles to the 867 junction. Turn right (as for Leigh Lake), go 4.7 miles, and take the right .2 mile past the road going to Leigh Lake. The trailhead is 2.7 miles at the end of the road. Read the sign to find the trail.
Though not one of the most spectacular hikes in the Cabinets, it's a nice afternoon hike (although steep!) that gets you into the wilderness area for some quality scenery and solitude.
Photos by Maggie Craig, LibbyMT.com
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