The Beaten Path (East Rosebud to Clarks Fork)

Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Custer Gallatin National Forest (East Rosebud Trailhead near Alpine to Clarks Fork Trailhead near Cooke City)

The Beaten Path crosses the Beartooth Plateau between two deep canyons, linking East Rosebud Lake on the north side of the range with the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone near Cooke City. The Forest Service lists more than a dozen named lakes along its 26 miles, with the trail climbing from about 6,300 feet to 10,000 feet.

It is a classic point-to-point, but it has also been one of Montana’s most disrupted trails since the June 2022 flood. Read the notice above before you commit to a through-hike.

The hike

The Forest Service mileages run from the East Rosebud end: Elk Lake (3.5 miles), Rimrock Lake (6.0), Rainbow Lake (8.0), Lake at Falls (9.0), Duggan Lake (12.5), Twin Outlets Lake (12.8), Dewey Lake (14.0), Fossil Lake (16.0), Windy, Skull, Bald Knob and Ouzel Lakes (17.1 to 18.8), Russell Lake (20.0), Kersey Lake (24.5), and the Clarks Fork Trailhead (26.0).

Both CleverHiker and Backpacking Routes suggest starting at the Clarks Fork (Cooke City) end, which Backpacking Routes says saves about 1,800 feet of climbing. From that side, CleverHiker describes a crossing of the Clarks Fork right out of the parking lot, about six miles of lodgepole pine, then Ouzel Lake at about mile 8, where “the path starts to open up.” Fossil Lake sits near the high point on the plateau. The descent passes Impasse Falls, Rimrock Lake, and Elk Lake, and the last miles cross forest regrowing from the 1996 Shepard Mountain fire.

That descent is where the flood did its damage. KTVQ reported in 2023 that the East Rosebud Trailhead reopened that August after a 14-month closure, that Elk Lake’s outlet had blown out, and that the Rimrock Lake bridge was gone. The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness Foundation wrote in June 2025 that “there is no safe way to cross the churning, fast-moving waters at the outlet of Rimrock Lake” and asked hikers to avoid the Elk Lake-Rimrock section and consider an out-and-back from Cooke City instead. Yellowstone Public Radio reported that a hiker was swept away at that crossing in June 2025, the second death there after a July 2024 drowning. Explore Big Sky reported crews starting bridge work on October 3, 2025, and KXLF showed a helicopter moving the bridge into the canyon a week later, but neither confirmed a finish date.

CleverHiker also notes that some flood-eroded sections in the canyon require side-hilling or walking in the river, depending on water levels.

For another Beartooth through-hike that starts closer to Red Lodge, see Sundance Pass.

Tips

Confirm the Rimrock crossing with the Beartooth Ranger District before you go; if it isn’t open, ABWF suggests an out-and-back from Cooke City.
Plan the shuttle. CleverHiker puts the drive between trailheads at about 95 miles over Beartooth Pass, with no public transport or cell service at either end.
Carry bear spray and know the food storage rules below.
Expect snow early and late. Backpacking Routes says snow can linger on the high plateau into late July and return in September.
Bring bug protection. Backpacking Routes reports heavy mosquitoes from the Cooke City side up to Fossil Lake.

Camping

No permit is needed (CleverHiker, Backpacking Routes). Forest Service rules for the trail: no camping or campfires within 200 feet of a lake or 100 feet of flowing water; groups of 15 or fewer; stays of up to 16 days, after which you must move at least five miles. Open fires are banned on the stretch from the west side of Fossil Lake to the east side of Twin Outlets Lake. Backpacking Routes adds that you can’t camp at the Clarks Fork Trailhead.

The Custer Gallatin food storage order applies March 1 to December 1: food and scented items must be attended (within 100 feet, in sight), hung at least 10 feet up and 4 feet from the trunk, or kept in a certified bear-resistant container.

Inside Intel: CleverHiker singles out Ouzel Lake for “an excellent campsite along the lake” and captions Dewey Lake as “a perfect spot to camp for the night.” It also warns that mountain goats at higher camps will go after unsecured food, and notes that many sites have bear hang poles.

Trail facts

Distance: 26 miles (Forest Service); about 27 miles (CleverHiker)
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Strenuous
Campsites: Dispersed; lakes include Elk, Rimrock, Rainbow, Duggan, Dewey, Fossil, Skull, Ouzel, Russell, and Kersey
Water: Plentiful lakes and streams; treat it
Permits: None
Fires: Banned between Fossil and Twin Outlets Lakes; check seasonal restrictions
Bear storage: Required March 1 to December 1
Dogs: Not addressed in the sources read; ask the district
Trailheads: East Rosebud (end of East Rosebud Road) and Clarks Fork (off US 212 near Cooke City)
Last verified: October 10, 2026

The Lowdown

Twenty-six miles between car shuttles:

The Beaten Path has no resupply between East Rosebud and Cooke City, so every dinner rides in your pack for three or four days. See the camp meals reviewers rate.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.