A short, fun, mostly creekside hike to a lower lake in the Mission Mountain Wilderness.
The short, pretty trail follows Glacier Creek upstream, crossing it and two more tributaries on sturdy footbridges. The first footbridge is admirably constructed - its creators harvested a large pine nearby and transformed it into a log bridge with handrail over the fast moving creek below. These creek crossings add a bit of excitement when the creeks are full early in the season.
The sound of the creek fades as you climb up to the lake over the last third of the hike. A quarter mile below the lake the trail forks. Stay left - the right fork is the trail to Turquoise, Crescent and Heart Lakes. We hope to explore those lakes in the future.
There were huckleberries along the entire trail when we hiked this early July 2016, and we saw several whitetail deer, much more wary than their urban cousins. The lake is scenic with nice views of the surrounding peaks and a very pretty cascade rolling down from the next shelf beyond the far end of the lake. There is not much lakefront access, and much of the area is closed for restoration. Camping is not allowed. Mosquitos were a nuisance near the shore.
From Montana highway 83 near mile marker 37, not far from the turnoff to Holland Lake, take Kraft Creek Road a little over 11 miles to the trailhead. This is a pretty good gravel road. The road forks a few times but is signed. The final fork, 5 miles from the trailhead, only references forest road numbers. You want forest road 561 (trail number 690). There is a good size parking area with a small hitching post and outhouse. There is nice creek access right here at the trailhead. Note as of July 2016, Google Maps does not show the final few miles of the access road. Fear not, it exists.