WN Hiking Series: Lake Creek Trail

Pausing at the top of the trail and looking downward, the sight of Lower Geiger Lake proved to be moving with reflections of tree-lined slopes dancing off the water. Further on, the sunshine sparkled off the surface of Upper Geiger Lake with Ferrell’s Wall to the left and Carney Peak to the right.

Lake Creek Trail No. 656 – often referred to as the Geiger Lakes trail – includes great views on the way into the Cabinet Wilderness. Located south of Libby and accessed from West Fisher Creek Road and a few side roads (see directions in the accompanying graphic), the trailhead features plenty of space for parking. The beginning is a bit steep and goes down off the road past the trailhead sign and to a footbridge across Lake Creek.

For the next two miles, you proceed up the trail at a steady climb. It includes no real steep spots but consistently climbs 1,000 feet until you reach Lower Geiger Lake. Just before reaching the lake, you’ll cross over into the Cabinet Wilderness. A side trail gets you down to the lake.

Continuing on, the trail climbs high above the lower lake to provide spectacular views. The trail climbs another 600 feet over another mile to Upper Geiger Lake. A sign on a tree directs you to a side trail that goes down to the lake’s shores.

At the lake, scattered campground sites can be found for those with the desire to stay beyond a day hike. It’s the perfect place to relax, eat lunch and re-energize for the 90-minute hike back down to the trailhead.

For those who want to go further, Lost Buck Pass is about another 1.5 miles down the trail. We didn’t want to add that much distance to our hike on this day but reaching Lost Buck Pass is supposed to be worth the effort with incredible views of Wanless Lake and the Swamp Creek Valley.

Above Upper Geiger, hikers will find access to Fourth of July Creek Trail No. 115 and at Lost Buck Pass, the route hooks up with Cabinet Divide Trail No. 360.

Lake Creek Trail

Location: Kootenai National Forest

USFS Trail No.: 656

How to Get There: From Libby, drive about 24 miles south on Highway 2 and take a right onto West Fisher Creek Road (No. 231). Follow the road for about 5 1/2 miles and veer left onto Road No. 2332 – signs will point you in the right direction. After less than a half-mile, get onto Road No. 6748 and proceed about a mile-and-a-half to the trailhead.

Round-Trip Distance: 6.0 miles

Difficulty: Moderate