If the Dawson Pitamakin Loop isn’t in the cards and you would like something a little less crowded than Upper Two Medicine Lake, a hike to this hidden gem might interest you. The name is underwhelming, but the scenery is at the other extreme.
No Name Lake is in the Bighorn Basin of the Two Medicine region in southeast Glacier National Park.
From East Glacier, drive 3.5 miles north (5.6 kilometers) on Montana Highway 49, the Looking Glass Road. Travel west on the Two Medicine Road about 7 miles (11.3 kilometers). At that point, you can decide whether to turn right to the campground or proceed straight ahead to the parking lot by the Two Medicine camp store and boat dock. The descriptions below will help you make that choice.
From Saint Mary, it’s about 27 miles (43.5 kilometers) south to the Two Medicine Road via US Highway 89 and the Looking Glass Road. Plan for at least one hour driving time. It could be more if highway construction is still going on. The Looking Glass Road is a narrow, winding road that is not in the best of shape. Yet there are beautiful vistas looking west into Glacier National Park.
No Name Lake Hiking Options
- Travel up and back on Two Medicine Lake aboard the Sinopah: 5.6 miles (9.0 kilometers) on the trail.
- One way on Sinopah: 7.5 miles (12.1 kilometers) on the trail. (Note the Glacier Boat Company requires a round-trip ticket to travel up the lake, whether or not you return on the boat. However, you can purchase a one-way ticket at the head of the lake for a return trip.) There could be a considerable wait time for the boat trip back depending on the number of people with the same idea.
- No boat ride. Start at the North Shore Trailhead near Two Medicine campground: 10.0 miles (16.1 kilometers) round trip.
The distance is about 0.8 miles (1.3 kilometers) along paved roads from the Northshore Trailhead near the campground to the parking lot in front of the Two Medicine camp store.
I describe Option 2 below. The distance from the head of Two Medicine Lake to No Name Lake is 2.8 miles (4.5 kilometers) gaining 761 feet (232 meters) in elevation. The return trip via the North Shore Trail to the trailhead near Pray Lake and Two Medicine campground is 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers).
No Name Lake via the Sinopah Launch
It had been raining, but my wife and I drove to Two Medicine, anyway. We wanted to mix it up a bit and combine a ride on the boat Sinopah across Two Medicine Lake with some trail time. The next day would be the launch’s last trip for the season. Then, rather than going back into her boathouse for the winter, she is going to Kalispell for refurbishment. Sinopah has been well taken care of since her construction in 1926.
Both Sinopah Mountain and the 45-foot (14-meter), 49 passenger boat were named for a Blackfeet Indian maiden. Her father was Chief Lone Walker. There is a mountain to the west of Sinopah Mountain that bears his name. Sinopah married Hugh Monroe, a Hudson’s Bay fur trapper and trader. The Blackfeet named him Rising Wolf. His mountain is on the north side of Two Medicine Lake.²
We parked near Sinopah’s mooring in the lot south of the Two Medicine camp store. There is a lot of history here. This building was originally the Two Medicine Chalets kitchen and dining hall built by the Great Northern Railway in 1912 for wealthy passengers arriving from the east.⁴ President Herbert Hoover used the Two Medicine Chalets complex as his base of operations in August 1930. On August 5, 1934, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave one of his famous Fireside Chats near the fireplace in this building.³
The captain usually blows the boat’s horn when it’s time to come aboard. Once we were underway, the skipper’s stories about the area and commentary on landmarks kept everyone entertained while we motored two miles to the west shore. There is a shelter near the dock at the head of the lake. For those who hike and then return by boat, this can be handy should the weather turn bad while waiting.
Two Medicine Lake is at 5,164 feet (1,574 meters) elevation. The trail will ascend 761 feet (232 meters) over about 3 miles (4.8 kilometers) to No Name Lake at 5,925 feet (1,806 meters).
Shortly after leaving the west shore, a boardwalk will carry you above the sensitive and soggy forest floor. Thimbleberries grow along this section. If you’re lucky, there will be ripe fruit to snack on as you walk. You may notice long dark scars on the trunks of the large spruce trees growing in the area. These are frost cracks. When the temperature suddenly plummets during winter, the outside of the trunk contracts more quickly than the inner wood. The result is a rapid splitting of the wood that can sound like a gunshot.
After 0.1-miles, you will come to the South Shore Trail. Keep right. After 0.6-miles, there will be a junction of the South Shore Trail, Upper Two Medicine Lake Trail and the North Shore Trail. Turning left will take you to Twin Falls, 0.3 miles (0.5 kilometers) and Upper Two Medicine Lake, 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers). Turn right and proceed another 0.2-miles (0.3- kilometers) to reach the Dawson Pass Trail.
This area is moose country and fall is the mating season. The day before our hike, park officials closed the backcountry campground at Upper Two Medicine Lake because several moose had taken up residence in all but one campsite. A cantankerous bull charged one camper. Last year, we came upon a bull bedded down in the middle of the trail leading to No Name Lake and Dawson Pass. After some time and when he was good and ready, he moved. They are large and powerful animals. Give moose a wide berth.
At the next trail junction, turn left onto the Dawson Pass Trail. The footpath to the right is the one that will take you back to the trailhead on the return trip. There is a section of switchbacks between this junction and the path leading to No Name Lake 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) away. That will be the steepest part of the hike. The number of edible huckleberries remaining surprised us. Magnificent scenery, sharing the hike with my best friend and fresh “hucks.” Life is good.
The No Name Lake Trail ends 0.3-miles (0.5-kilometers) after leaving the Dawson Pass Trail at the west side of the lake and the backcountry campground. Two of the three campsites can be reserved, but there is a one night limit. Near the food-prep area is a small beach perfect for having lunch.
All good things must end sometime. So, when it’s time to leave, return to the Dawson Pass Trail turn right and 4.7 miles (7.6 kilometers) later you will arrive at the trailhead near Pray Lake and the Two Medicine Campground.
If you parked in the lot by the camp store, it is about 0.8-miles (1.3 kilometers) farther along paved roads to reach your vehicle. You never know. Surprising things can happen on this stretch. While we were sauntering along the asphalt, three bighorn sheep with their eyes bugged out and running full tilt blew by us at an arm’s length away. We never did see what spooked them.
No Name Lake Hike Summary (one-way on the boat Sinopah)
| Total Distance | 7.5 miles |
| Total Elevation Gain | 1,408 feet |
| Total Elevation Loss | 1,405 Feet |
| Difficulty | 10.3,Strenuous* (Calculated using the Petzoldt equation for energy-rated miles) |
| Total Walking Time | 3 hours 42 minutes (at 2.5 miles-per-hour and allowance for elevation gain using Naismith’s Rule) |
Thanks for Visiting
If you’ve found this post useful, I invite you to check out my book Glacier National Park, Going-to-the-Sun Road: A Traveler’s Guide. Within this MultiTouch iBook are descriptions of hikes originating along the road corridor from West Glacier to Saint Mary. Interactive maps and photo galleries are included. You’ll also find points of interest highlighted, history, and other recreational opportunities.
Notes
- “FDR Radio Address at Two Medicine.” National Park Service: Glacier National Park Montana. Last modified,2016. Accessed June 27, 2019. https://www.nps.gov/glac/learn/historyculture/fdr-radio-address.htm.
- Robinson, Donald H. Through the Years: in Glacier National Park. 5th ed. West Glacier, MT: Glacier Natural History Association, Inc., 1973.
- “Two Medicine Chalet: Glacier National Park.” National Park Lodge Architecture Society. Last modified, 2010. http://www.nplas.org/twomedicine.html.
- “Two Medicine General Store.” National Register of Historic Places. Last modified, 1984. https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/a908db2a-c76c-46a5-8e07-b6879ab16465.
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