* Updated Jan 20, 2019 *
* After several years with broken image links in this trip report, I've added the images (and many more) back in. *
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Had a great 3-day trip, August 12 to 14, 2012. Camped at Cobalt Lake the first night, and No Name Lake the second night. Day hiked up to Two Medicine Pass on the second day, and up to Dawson Pass on the third day. Incredible weather -- amazing trip!
Day 1 Highlights -- Two Medicine Parking Area Up to Cobalt Lake
Started on the trail south of the lake from Two Medicine, through forest and meadows with views of Sinopah Mountain....
Had lunch at Rockwell Falls....
After Rockwell Falls and heading up the trail towards Cobalt Lake on Two Medicine Pass Trail, the stretch above Rockwell Falls to Cobalt Lake has some good elevation gain (be ready for some climbing), but it's very scenic as you follow the stream above the falls past some places where the creek flows through some rock chutes....
Looking back down Two Medicine Pass Trail between Rockwell Falls and Cobalt Lake....
Looking up Two Medicine Pass Trail, heading towards Cobalt Lake and Mt. Rockwell above....
Cobalt Lake campsite is very nice. Two tent spots separated nicely. It was great hanging out by the lake in the late afternoon and evening, watching the 5 mountain goats scrambling around on the cliffs across the lake. At dusk, two adult goats and a kid (if that's what the little ones are called) suddenly began running down from near the top all the way down to the lake -- they sprinted down hundreds of feet, flying over the rocks. The kid was in the middle. My guess was that mom & dad were teaching him how to run. Night brought the Perseid Meteor show. Amazing.
Cobalt Lake, from north shore near the campsite, looking west towards Mt. Rockwell.
Cobalt Lake, from north shore near the campsite, looking east.
Cobalt Lake Food Prep Area
Sunset at Cobalt Lake.
Day 2 Highlights -- Cobalt Lake Up to Two Medicine Pass / On to No Name Lake
Gorgeous weather and a beautiful day hike in the morning from Cobalt Lake up to Two Medicine Pass.
Incredible views heading up towards the pass, back down on Cobalt Lake and all the way down to Two Medicine Lake....
Two Medicine Lake (left) and Cobalt Lake (right) from Two Medicine Pass.
Views of the Park Creek drainage off the back side. of Two Medicine Pass....
View of Mt. Despair from Two Medicine Pass, looking west.
View of Park Creek drainage, looking northwest from Two Medicine Pass. Mt. Despair on the left, and Statuary Mountain with Church Butte behind it on the right.
We day hiked from Cobalt Lake up to Two Medicine Pass and didn't come back down to Cobalt Lake until around noon. When we had left in the morning it was only us and one other couple who were camped at Cobalt. When we returned around noon, there were close to 20 day hikers enjoying lunch around Cobalt Lake.
We took our time with lunch at Cobalt Lake (too long as it turned out), and so we didn't get to our second night's destination -- No Name Lake -- until evening.
We headed back down Two Medicine Pass Trail and turned left on the South Shore trail over past the boat dock, where the trail zig-zags from the boat dock trail to the Upper Two Medicine Lake Trail to the Dawson Pass Trail.
Two Medicine Lake from the south shore trail.
Dawson Pass Trail below No Name Lake, looking back down to Two Medicine Lake.
We finally made it to No Name Lake at dusk. Another nice site. Two other groups already there (a couple and a threesome)....the only tent site left was still perfect.
Food prep area at No Name Lake backcountry campsite.
Day 3 Highlights -- No Name Lake Up to Dawson Pass / Back Down to Two Medicine Lake
We had originally thought on Day 3 we would be completing the Dawson-Pitamakan loop from No Name, clockwise, back to Two Medicine parking area. But with the previous day's adventures, we were pretty spent. We decided to leave our gear hanging at No Name and make it a day hike up above Dawson Pass...then come back down to pick up our gear at No Name and head back via the boat to Two Medicine. And that's exactly what we did. Great day!
We saw a moose on the way up to Dawson Pass. The only other moose I've ever seen up close in Glacier was in the Bowman Lake backcountry site.
Great views looking back down as we headed up the Dawson Pass Trail....
View of No Name Lake from Dawson Pass Trail.
View from Dawson Pass Trail of Rising Wolf Mountain, Two Medicine Lake, and just a bit of No Name Lake on the right.
The views from up on Dawson Pass were absolutely incredible. The wind was VERY strong up there too.
Mt. Helen, looking south from the trail below Dawson Pass.
Southwest view from trail below Dawson Pass. Mt. Phillips is on the right.
Northwest view from trail below Dawson Pass. Mt. Phillips on the left, Tinkham Mountain on the right.
View of Rising Wolf Mountain, looking east from trail below Dawson Pass.
Northwest view from Dawson Pass. Tinkham Mountain is on the right.
Dawson Pass trail heading north to Pitamakan Pass. Mt. Morgan is straight ahead.
Flinsch Peak, with Mt. Morgan behind to the left, from Dawson Pass.
We made it back in time for the last boat back to Two Medicine. A great way to end an awesome 2-night, 3-day adventure! (And the full Dawson-Pitamakan loop is still on the bucket list!)
Looking back at Sinopah Mountain from the boat on Two Medicine Lake....
Journey's end at the foot of Two Medicine Lake.