Aquarius Lake

Drainage: Clarks Fork (MT)
Approaches: Clarks Fork Trail #3 — 6 mi, 3.25 on trail with 2.75 mi off-trail; 1,684 ft up, 538 ft down · From Little Molar Lake — about 1.3 mi south-southeast, cross-country

Elevation: 9,187 feet
Fish: Yellowstone cutthroat (FWP)
Coordinates: 45.05729, -109.81077
Bugs: Minimal on our visit

Getting there

From the Clarks Fork Trailhead it is about 6 miles on Clarks Fork Trail #3, with the last 2.75 off trail.

We came the long way. Aquarius was our third night on a thru hike that started at the Lady of the Lake Trailhead. A thru hike takes two vehicles. We left one at the Clarks Fork end of the Beaten Path, drove around to Lady of the Lake in the other, and started walking. Set the shuttle rig before you leave, not after.

The hike

Day three was the move. We broke basecamp at Splinter and worked about eight miles across to Aquarius, and it was the hardest day of the trip. The net elevation change is small, around 250 feet down, but that number hides the work: we climbed roughly 2,100 feet over the course of the day, lost more than that, and did most of it with full packs on unmarked ground. We did not reach Aquarius until after eight in the evening.

The last stretch comes in from Little Molar, about a mile and a third to the south southeast through open timbered meadows. It trends downhill overall with enough short climbs in it that you notice them by then. The timber opens fast at the end and puts you out on the shoreline.

Aquarius is a good sized basin at 11.6 acres, the largest water on the shelf. FWP lists Yellowstone cutthroat.

Tips & safety

• Camping: we camped here. Flat ground, room to spread out, and enough timber for wind shelter, which matters after a day in the open. It works well as a staging point for the final walk out, with Sedge under five hundred yards away and the descent to the valley starting past Dollar.

• Fishing: FWP lists Yellowstone cutthroat.

• Route: no trail on the approach from Little Molar, or anywhere on this shelf. You are navigating.

• Plan for a long day: if you are coming across from the Splinter side, budget for climbing you will not see in the net numbers, and expect to arrive later than you think.

• Thru hike logistics: this is point to point, not a loop. Your ride has to already be parked at the exit trailhead.