Production Lake
Difficulty: Moderate
Trip Type: Multi-Day Backpacking / High-Alpine Route
Distance: ~6.3 miles from starting trailhead / ~1.1 miles from Splinter Lake Basecamp
Elevation: 10,181 feet
Coordinates: 45.10269, -109.83315
Time: ~1 hour from Splinter Lake Basecamp
Access: Unmaintained off-trail high country navigation. Departs via cross-country from Paddle Lake.
Bugs: Minimal (little to no bugs)
Getting there
The multi-day backpacking route departs from the Lady of the Lake Trailhead. Please note that this is a thru-hike itinerary; our group dropped one vehicle off at the Beaten Path Trailhead first, then jumped in the truck and drove over to the Lady of the Lake Trailhead to begin hiking. This ensures a vehicle is waiting for pickup at the other side when you finish the trip.
The hike
If you are traveling straight from the vehicle turnaround, the route to Production Lake spans roughly 6.3 miles from the starting trailhead and involves almost 1,692 vertical feet of elevation gain. For backpackers tracking from your multi-day basecamp, this destination sits about 1.1 miles past camp at Splinter Lake. If tracking sequentially from your last water stop, it sits on the same open high-alpine plateau right next to Paddle Lake and Recruitment Lake, gaining 692 vertical feet from basecamp.
Once you are on top of this upper shelf, the walking is pretty easy since all three lakes are clustered within less than an eighth of a mile of one another. Production Lake sits slightly lower than the surrounding bench shelf, situated directly beneath a dramatic rocky pitch.
Tips & safety
Terrain and Route Warning: Pay close attention to your lines when traveling between the waters on this shelf. You can walk directly in between Paddle Lake and Recruitment Lake, even though the gap does not look very promising when you are actually looking at it. Be absolutely certain to head back toward Recruitment Lake immediately after exploring that gap. If you wander too far forward toward Production Lake from above instead, you will suddenly find yourself standing on a dangerous 100-foot cliff overlooking the water.
Thru-Hike Logistics: Because this extended itinerary finishes at a completely different exit point, ensure your logistics are arranged with a shuttle vehicle waiting at the final trailhead before you set out.
Fishing: FWP and GNIS data listed for Brook Trout. Be aware that standing on the cliff side mentioned above makes it incredibly hard to drop a line down and fish the lake.
