West Rosebud Lake

Drainage: West Rosebud
Approaches: Roadside on West Rosebud Road, no walking required
Elevation: 6,596 feet
Fish: Brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout (FWP)
Coordinates: 45.24983, -109.71122
Bugs: Minimal on our visit

Getting there

West Rosebud Lake sits directly off West Rosebud Road on the way to the Mystic Lake Trailhead. A standard vehicle gets you to the water and you are at the shoreline in a minute.

The hike

There isn't one, and that is the point.

At just under twenty acres and 6,596 feet, this is the highest of the three roadside lakes on this road and the last one before the pavement runs out at the trailhead. Emerald is a couple of miles back at 6,396 and Reeves further down at 5,954.

FWP lists brook trout, brown trout and rainbow trout. Three species, no walking, which is the same combination Emerald offers and unusual anywhere else in this drainage.

For anyone driving up to Mystic, this is the last stop before the hiking starts. For anyone not walking three miles and 1,300 feet to the Mystic overlook, it is one of the few places in West Rosebud you can reach at all.

Tips & safety

• Three species, no walking. Brook, brown and rainbow, a minute from where you park.

• Last water before the trailhead. Past here the road ends and everything is on foot.

• Fishing: FWP lists all three species. Emerald, a couple of miles down the road, carries the same three and is the other easy option.