Skyline: Trapper Lake, Heart Lake, and Palmer Lake

Bridger-Teton National Forest

(blue line, map link)

DAY 1 | DAY 2 | DAY 3 | DAY 4 | DAY 5

My getting up and started wasn't quite as early as I might have liked, but the south facing climb wasn't as hot as I worried. There was a warning from a hiker coming the other direction that this trail was getting faint. The faintest it got was at a couple walk-arounds for trees about halfway up. After all the practice following trails past downed trees, noting tread goes there and walk-around goes there and following it was easy. I was still looking for faint trail when I started seeing recently logged out trees at the top. If this is "abandoned", the rest must be magnificent.

031: lake with an island — A little view of Fremont Lake.

032: hills below the sage covered slope — Climbing up the north side of the big glacial canyon.

033: feathered giant — A particularly red tailed hawk takes the easy way up riding the currents.

Peakbagger had "Crows Nest Lookout" marked. This named viewpoint is probably copied from the Beartooth map. I decided to stop by it, and that was a good thing. It's the last chance to get in all the views out over the canyon.

037: a second canyon — Bridger Creek Canyon behind Pine Creek and a crest of the Great Divide beyond.

038: whitewater far below — Fremont Creek Canyon behind Bridger Creek. The whitewater below Long Lake is Fremont Creek. After the corner, it is Bridger Creek.

039: lakes and lots of flat land beyond — The other end of Fremont Lake and the vast flatter land beyond. The smaller lake to the right is Soda Lake.

After the grand view, there was a little more climbing among the trees and suddenly the signed junction with Summit Lake Trail. Back on officially maintained trail, everything was beautifully cleared. I set off on the northerly walk, rolling along from lake to lake.

041: little lake with small hills — Prospector Lake.

042: rocky tops of small, round hills — A rolling landscape ahead.

043: another little lake — Little Trapper Lake.

044: lily pads in a lake — Arriving at Trapper Lake.

045: shallow water — More of Trapper Lake.

046: strange yellow flower — Those water lilies still have a few blooms.

There's a lot of lakes to choose from with lots of trails connecting them. Section Corner Lake was tempting, but I kept on with the plan of passing Heart to Palmer. Official junctions had signs, but there were plenty of good trails without signs. I had to check OpenStreetMap for those unofficial ones. Even it failed at one and I just had to guess.

049: big lake end — Trapper Lake from the north end.

050: small pond — There's a number of extra small ponds near Trapper Lake.

051: trees hiding a lake — Trail Lake is hidden behind trees from here.

054: extra pond — There's many extra ponds like this above Neil Lake.

055: rocky islands in a pond — Neil Lake.

058: lake and rock domes — Gottfried Lake.

At Heart Lake Trail, I diverged from the main track. I would be back to Summit Lake Trail eventually, but I didn't need to take the shortest route to make it around. It obviously is a lesser used trail, but it is still clear of trees.

062: rocky over the water — Reflections in the pond across the trail from Heart Lake.

063: reflections — More reflections on the pond.

065: passed ponds — Part of a string of ponds passed.

066: pond in the shade — A larger pond above Dean Lake.

067: pretty lake with little island — Dean Lake, a particularly pretty one.

I got into a vast park as I neared Palmer Lake Trail. It's really no wonder that I ended up on a shortcut trail rather than the official one without even noticing. That meant no sign at the junction, and I overshot the trail wondering what that particularly well trod track might be.

068: sun overpowering the photo — Into the park and the sun.

071: small lake with a long trail passing — Round Lake, the other way along Palmer Lake Trail.

073: lake and little mountains — Arriving at Palmer Lake.

There's no sign for Doubletop Mountain Trail either. There's a cairn and the suggestion of many parallel trails converging near where it should be. It follows Palmer Trail for a short way before diverging again to get down the hill, but people have gone directly and steeply instead. I had picked out a spot high on the west side of the lake to make camp and reality was with me. I found a good spot right where I hoped to.

075: lake among little mountains — Palmer Lake.

Another tent was near the inlet on the far side of the lake. I stopped by the outlet for water, but ultimately took from the lake itself. It was much better water than I usually associate with still water.

076: pink colors — The little mountains turning pink in the sunset.

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