Sodalite Lake

Drainage: Clarks Fork (MT)
Approaches: Clarks Fork — 10 mi (9 on trail, 1 off-trail); 2,000 ft up / 200 ft down · From Surprise Lake — ~0.7 mi cross-country east
Elevation: 9,794 feet
Fish: Brook trout (FWP)
Coordinates: 45.08334, -109.81848
Bugs: Minimal on our visit

Getting there

From the Clarks Fork side it's a long day — 10 miles, 9 of them on trail, with 2,000 feet of climbing and a final mile off trail.

We came the long way. Sodalite came on the Day 3 move of a thru-hike that started at the Lady of the Lake Trailhead, roughly 5.2 miles out and about 2.2 miles from our basecamp at Splinter Lake, gaining close to 874 feet along the way. A thru-hike takes two vehicles: we left one at the Clarks Fork end of the Beaten Path, drove to the Lady of the Lake Trailhead in the other, and started walking. Set the shuttle rig before you leave, not after.

The hike

From Surprise Lake the route runs about seven-tenths of a mile east across the upper bench, losing a little elevation as it goes. It's open, rocky alpine country — granite shelves and route-finding the whole way, no tread to follow. Sodalite opens up at 27 acres, a good-sized piece of water for this high on the shelf.

Tips & safety

• Navigation: No maintained trail through this upper basin. Continuous route-finding across open granite with a full pack.

• Fishing: FWP lists brook trout.

• Thru-hike logistics: This is point-to-point, not a loop. Your ride has to already be parked at the exit trailhead.