Courthouse Lake

Difficulty: Moderate
Trip Type: Backpacking / Day Hike
Distance: ~4.2 miles from trailhead / 2 miles from Anvil Lake
Elevation: 9,935 feet
Coordinates: 45.12654, -109.95526
Time: ~2.5 hours from Anvil Lake
Access: Unmaintained off-trail navigation. ATV or off-road buggy required to reach the vehicle turnaround.
Bugs: Minimal (little to no bugs)

Getting there

Accessing this area requires navigating the rugged Goose Lake Jeep Trail. You will absolutely need an ATV, an off-road buggy, or a highly capable off-road vehicle. Your driving portion ends when you reach the vehicle turnaround near the Goose Creek waterfall area, which serves as your staging spot to park and shoulder your packs.

Be extremely cautious when parking your vehicle; local pine martens are highly active in this basin and are notorious for chewing on wires and cables underneath parked machines. Just before the trail ends near the falls, look for a hard right turn that points you north to begin the hike.

The hike

If you are traveling straight from the vehicle turnaround, the route to Courthouse Lake is 4.2 miles and involves 1,285 vertical feet of elevation gain. For hikers linking lakes together from the Anvil Lake basin, this destination sits exactly 2 miles past Anvil Lake. If you are tracking sequentially from your last water stop, Courthouse Lake is located about half a mile further up the canyon bench past Fly Lake.

The approach requires navigating the initial steep hill climb directly out of the Anvil basin. After clearing that first rigorous slope and passing the lower bench lakes like Lake Aries, Sourdough, Spider, and Fly, the route pushes higher into the canyon. Once you top out on the upper bench, the walking becomes much easier for the final stretch leading to Courthouse Lake.

Tips & safety

• Navigation: There are no maintained paths leading through this upper canyon section. You will rely entirely on cross-country route-finding to navigate the final approach up to the basin.

• Weather: High-altitude mountain weather can turn fast here. Come fully prepared for sustained cold rain or sudden storms; we had to take our rest breaks in the pouring rain near the shore.

• Fishing: FWP and GNIS data listed for Yellowstone Cutthroat.