Best Dog Friendly Trails near Red Lodge, Montana

beautiful. my favorite place to fish.

great trail, for every level!!

We plan on returning with the kids. Great walk. Dog friendly. Very easy.

We plan on returning with the kids. Great walk. Dog friendly. Very easy.

This is one of my favorite backpacking trips. Not very difficult. I spent 3 days doing this out and back because it was so beautiful. Day 1, I drove to the Lake Ford Trailhead from Great Falls, MT and immediately hit the trail. I found this trail to be a steady up-hill most of the way. I ended up spending my first night at Keyser Brown lake, in a nice open meadow next to the lake. Day 2 I made the short trip up to September Morn lake and once again made camp for the night. After setting up camp, I took the switchback trail up to Sundance Pass. Amazing views...absolutely incredible. Pictures do not do this trip justice. That night, after returning to camp, a furious thunderstorm blew through. The thunder really booms and echos off the mountain walls surrounding September Morn...and the hail that came down was a sight to see. Day 3 I woke up early and started the hike back to the Lake Fork Trailhead...I believe it was just about 10 miles from September Morn. I encountered more hail on my way out. Overall, it was a great 3 day trip. I loved camping next to the lakes. The elevation wasn't too challenging. I'll upload some pictures from my trip. This is a PERFECT beginner backpacker trip. Highly recommend this.

This is one of the better hikes I've been on. The views are stunning and well worth hiking the steep incline. Once you hit the plateau, you don't want to leave!

Snowline was around 8k feet.
(Side note: I wasn't able to record my entire hike; my phone battery went dead)

pretty, restrooms, parking, short walk but nice little lake

Lost Lake is a great trail, although can be hard to find if you don't know what you're looking for. If you make it to the bridge that is approximately 5 miles in, you have gone TOO far. The lost lake trail is about 300 yards before the bridge on the left. It is not marked, but is pretty well defined. It is a short (10 minutes or less) hike upwards, and then you stumble upon the lake. If you are walking back from the bridge, the trail will be on your right. Lake fork trail is beautiful! And there is water along the way so you don't have to worry about pups getting too hot. It is an equine trail, however, so make note of that if horse poo bothers you.

For the more adventurous spirits, if you are looking at the bridge there is a trail that goes off to your LEFT. (there are also some nice campsites to the left). That trail to the left goes through dense forest, and is at times primitive and not well defined (fallen trees, trail disappears in places, etc.) when you make it through the forest you will reach a BIG boulder field - my pup could not make it up the boulder field. Keep right and keep low, and there is a trail on the other side of the creek. Cairns will also direct you UP the boulder field directly, but this is a more difficult way. Stick to the right and follow the trail up the creek and eventually doing a boulder field scramble. This leads to Black Canyon Lake - a hidden gem!

Love the Red Lodge area.

Beautiful forested trail running by the creek. Well shaded. Gentle climb. Good access to water the whole way for dogs. Went on a Saturday and started at 10 am- saw 20 people the way out and at least twice that coming back but still had trail to ourselves most the hike. Beautiful lake at the end. We went to Lost Lake- our trackers have us at 11 miles round trip.

Great senior citizen warm up hike! Awesome Montana scenery! Hiked out/back to the Bridge, approx 10 miles - no Lost Lake sign in sight! Would be nice to have at least minimal signage!

Disregard my previous post. I'm looking at a satellite image and can see that there is apparently a spur that runs south off the main trail to Lost Lake sometime well before you get to the bridge. I think I may have seen this trail but there was no sign.

I enjoyed the hike but found the trail a bit confusing. As you push west along the creek you come to a bridge at about the 5-mile mark. I crossed the bridge and headed up the ridge for about 20-30min then came to a Y in the trail which was signed leading you further along the same ridge or dropping down to Keyser Brown Lake. Where was Lost Lake ? Other than this issue, I enjoyed the hike although it ended up at just over 12-miles. Any help/advice is appreciated !

We spent 3 days on this trip, which was a great choice for backpacking newbies! To wrap it up succinctly:
Day 1: short, easy, a good way to start off (West fork trailhead to Quinnebaugh Meadows)
Day 2: challenging
Day 3: long (from September Morn to the Lake Fork trailhead)

It's a beautiful trip. I hope to do it again someday!

lovely walk. could be a great 5 mile look for running. took my mother that is not big into hiking yet and she loved it. there is a short cut to make it a e mile loop, we opted for that just so she didn't get too tired in the end. Very Leisurely and enjoyable.

not too bad for a novice hiker! the fish in Lost lake were extremely tight lipped...all I wanted was one grayling... although I didn't hike it at a very good time for fishing! Make sure to stop at Broadwater for brookies.

Beautiful, gentle grade. Lots of places for our dog to get wet. Pack for changing weather conditions.

Great hike. We went about 3 miles in and the trail becomes a bit more shaded with switchbacks in a few places. Great waterfalls just a short detour off the main trail as you go up, and alongside the trail in he beginning of the shaded area. Lots of wildflowers in late July. Even the burned sections were growing a lot of brush and were gorgeous. Great views. Fun with the dog along too.

Trail is rocky but a relatively easy hike. My dogs were able to go off their leashes and explore. Only saw two other people on the trail.

Absolutely LOVED this hike. The closest lake is 5 miles, and it goes as far as 19 miles in. And even if you don't make it past the first lake, the hike is still well worth it. However, remember to pick up bear repellent. Closest place to get it is Red Lodge, MT.

Beautiful hike!

First half was burned in '88 (I guess) with little regrowth, but starting at Sentinel Falls you walk through beautiful forest and along rapids, cascades and falls. Great views of glaciated valley, and variety of gneissic granite.

Glad I went early. By the time I was going out at 10-12, there were dozens coming in, and the parking lot was literally full. Particularly enjoyed seeing so much of the cascading Lake Fork River as its descended along side of the trail.

Beautiful and steady climb from the trailhead to Lost Lake. There are several side trips worth the visit like Silver Run Falls. (It's about a mile in on the left up the slope. You can climb in behind the waterfall-see pics.) Also Broadwater Lake (it's actually just a wide spot in Rock Creek) is a great stopping point as well. Lost Lake does get a bit of traffic and evidence of campers is noticeable. Please practice leaving no trace.

Nice walk around the lake with scenic views. Great place to picnic with the fam. Kids had fun. It is very busy on the weekends.

Absolutely beautiful hike. We backpacked up to the Meadows the weekend of June 24-25, 2017 to use as a base camp for exploring and fishing. The trail is stunning. Multiple waterfalls as the trail close follows Rock Creek with multiple water sources enroute. A creek divides the Meadows, so there is a constant supply of water available (we use the Grayl Ultralight to filter water - they are awesome and don't break the bank). The trail has a good bit of traffic and quite a few people came up to the Meadows on day hikes, but only a few stayed the night. The Meadows are so big though, we didn't really see anyone much. We brought our Beagle who thought she had died and went to Dog Heaven!

The trailhead begins just a few yards above the parking area and is a gradual ascent all the way to Quinnepaugh; my GPS reported a total 1200-foot climb over the five-mile hike from the parking area. There are only a couple areas with switchbacks, the largest at Sentinel Falls, but it is short in duration. Overall, it isn't a difficult hike. (I think some of the reviews below are misposted or the person was hiking a different trail.)

Amazing, expansive views

Gorgeous trail in the spring/early summer. Hiked it in late June and there were two small creeks that crossed the path. My family (including two 12 year olds) have hiked it twice and plan on hiking it again.

One of my favorite. Easy, gradual hike, but nice distance and Lake view is worth it!

The loop was short but kids had a blast. It's beautiful. If you're looking for a short adventure this is the place.