East Tensleep Lake

Total Miles
4.8

Technical Rating

3

Easy

Best Time

Summer, Fall

Trail Type

High-Clearance 4x4 Trail

Accessible By

Trail Overview

This is an easy trail at the beginning, changing to moderate towards the end. This 4x4 trail travels from Highway 16 through meadows and wooded areas to reach hiking trails that access East Tensleep Lake. The trail starts as an easy dirt road in the pines with a couple of narrow sections with embedded rock. Once through the first section of forest, you will wind your way across a meadow following East Tensleep Creek. At the north of the meadow, you will turn northeast, this is where the trail starts the ascent towards the lake. The trail will narrow and become rocky, as well as have sections of loose dirt. After roughly 1 mile, you will reach the end of the trail with a small area for you to park your rig. The lake is a short scramble uphill and is a good spot to fish, have a picnic, or just enjoy the view. If you have a trail-rated ATV/UTV or dirt, you can descend Trail 100, which is a steep, loose, and rocky ATV/UTV route. Otherwise, you will just follow the same route back out to Highway 16.

Photos of East Tensleep Lake

East Tensleep Lake
East Tensleep Lake

Difficulty

The last mile of this trail is narrow, steep, rocky, and contains loose soil, which makes line choice important. There are no high-consequence areas or water crossings. The trail can be quite muddy after rainfall.

Technical Rating

3

Status Reports

There are no status reports yet for this trail.

East Tensleep Lake can be accessed by the following ride types:

  • High-Clearance 4x4
  • SxS (60")
  • ATV (50")
  • Dirt Bike

Access Description

East Tensleep Lake trail (FS 430) is located on the northside of Highway 16, across the road from Lakeview Bighorn Campground. The trail can be hard to spot due to the vast amount of trees in the area. There is a small parking area at the start to park a vehicle and trail if you are riding ATVs, UTVs, or dirt bikes.

East Tensleep Lake Map

Popular Trails

The onX Offroad Difference

onX Offroad combines trail photos, descriptions, difficulty ratings, width restrictions, seasonality, and more in a user-friendly interface. Available on all devices, with offline access and full compatibility with CarPlay and Android Auto. Discover what you’re missing today!