Rain Lake
Difficulty: Hard
Trip Type: Multi-Day Backpacking / High-Alpine Route
Distance: ~7.2 miles from starting trailhead / ~2 miles from Splinter Lake Basecamp
Elevation: 10,023 feet
Coordinates: 45.09504, -109.83060
Time: ~2 hours from Splinter Lake Basecamp
Access: Unmaintained off-trail high country navigation. Departs via cross-country from the adjacent bench lakes.
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 Rain Lake spans roughly 7.2 miles from the starting trailhead and involves almost 1,650 vertical feet of elevation gain. For backpackers tracking from your multi-day basecamp, this destination sits about 2 miles past camp at Splinter Lake. If tracking sequentially along your upper basin route, Rain Lake is located just a short walk past your last stop at No Bones Lake, sitting at 964 vertical feet of total elevation gain measured from your basecamp.
The cross-country route traverses the rugged alpine shelf. Rain Lake sits nestled slightly lower than the high eastern crags, tucked nicely on a rocky bench between the Pneumonia Lake drainage and the lower creek canyon. Navigating the unmaintained landscape requires checking your map frequently to maneuver through the rolling granite bands.
Tips & safety
High Country Navigation: There are no maintained paths leading through this upper basin section. Continuous cross-country route-finding is required to travel safely between the lakes on this high shelf.
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: Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks registers this water body as a managed mountain fishery inside the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone drainage. Regional guides track the basin under map index dot forty-three.
