Island Lake

Island lake, located at the northeastern edge of the Beartooth Mountains, provides a variety of unique views and offers a chance to escape the crowds associated with Mystic Lake. It's also one of the easiest lakes to get to considering the remoteness of the region and the abundance of adequate campsites around the lake makes it a backpacker's paradise. The trail starts out mostly flat, gains steepness during the approach to Mystic Lake, and then flattens out again as it follows the southern shore of the lake. Even the Mystic Lake hydroelectric dam, which provides Billings with electricity, I found intriguing despite being a "scar" on the land. One could easily establish a base camp at either lake and hike to a number of locations including the Mystic Equinox Tower or the Froze-to-Death Plateau, home of the tallest point in Montana, Granite Peak.