Lake Aries

Difficulty: Moderate
Trip Type: Backpacking / Day Hike
Distance: ~3.1 miles from trailhead / 1 mile from Anvil Lake
Elevation: 9,547 feet
Coordinates: 45.11244, -109.96653
Time: ~1 hour 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 routeto Lake Aries is 3.1 miles and involves 823 vertical feet of elevation gain. For hikers linking lakes together from the Anvil Lake basin, this destination sits exactly 1 mile past Anvil Lake, which frequently serves as a basecamp area for the basin.

The trek is fairly steep right off the bat as you climb the initial hill directly out of the Anvil basin. This rigorous push requires steady cross-country route-finding through the unmaintained terrain. Once you clear the top of the initial hill, the grade relaxes and you will arrive straight at the shores of Lake Aries.

Tips & safety

• Navigation: The entire path past Wall Lake is unmaintained, meaning this stretch from Anvil Lake requires complete cross-country route-finding up the ridge.

• Weather: High-altitude mountain weather can turn fast here. Come fully prepared for sustained cold rain or sudden storms.

• Fishing: FWP and GNIS data listed for Brook Trout, but we didn't catch any fish