Recruitment Lake
Difficulty: Moderate
Trip Type: Multi-Day Backpacking / High-Alpine Route
Distance: ~5.9 miles from starting trailhead / ~0.7 miles from Splinter Lake Basecamp
Elevation: 10,145 feet
Coordinates: 45.09915, -109.83756
Time: ~45 minutes from Splinter Lake Basecamp
Access: Unmaintained off-trail high country navigation. Departs via cross-country past Pneumonia 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 Recruitment Lake spans roughly 5.9 miles from the starting trailhead and involves almost 1,822 vertical feet of elevation gain. For backpackers tracking from your multi-day basecamp, this destination sits about 0.7 miles past camp at Splinter Lake. If tracking sequentially from your last water stop, it is located just a short push further up the shelf from Pneumonia Lake, climbing 622 vertical feet from basecamp.
Once you gain this upper shelf at Pneumonia Lake, the walking transitions into pretty easy high country terrain. Recruitment Lake sits clustered tightly on the plateau alongside Paddle Lake and Production Lake, with all three of these lakes sitting within an eighth of a mile of each other.
Tips & safety
Terrain and Route Warning: Pay close attention to your lines when navigating between these lakes. You can walk directly in between Paddle Lake and Recruitment Lake, even though the gap does not look very promising when you are actually hiking it. Be absolutely certain to head back toward Recruitment Lake immediately after exploring that gap. If you wander too far forward instead, you will suddenly find yourself standing on the edge of a dangerous 100-foot cliff overlooking Production Lake.
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 data listed for Brook Trout. Be aware that wandering onto the cliff side mentioned above will make it incredibly difficult to drop a line down and fish Production Lake.
