Current CDT route--Goldstone Pass to Rock Island Lakes, MT?

[Alleghanian Orogeny]

In late July we'll be visiting the western side of the Big Hole and other parts of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. In the course of planning a day-hike to Rock Island Lakes from our base camp at Twin Lakes, my 2008 edition Benchmark Road and Recreation Atlas for MT shows the CDT dropping off of the Divide just north of Goldstone Pass passing east to Skinner Lake (a headwater source of the Big Hole River), thence right up the Forest Service Road 381 for about 5 miles to South Van Houten Nat Forest campground. From there it shows crossing several spur ridges and angling directly past Rock Island Lakes before regaining the Divide near Homer Young's Peak.

If that's the current 2015 route, I imagine we'll see some CDT hikers as we do a short morning hike from above Miner Lake CG to Rock Island Lakes and again along Road 381. If you see a late 50s couple in an old Ford diesel pickup with NC plates, flag us down. We'll have some Trail Magic on board.

Can the current routing between Goldstone Pass and Rock Island Lakes be confirmed?

In the same trip, we plan a couple of nights at Morrison Lake, then passing through Lima to Red Rock Pass, and more CDT crossings down at South Pass, WY. On that part of the trip we'll be towing an A-Frame pop up camper. Stop by for some cold water, fresh fruit, a PBR, and other goodies.

AO

[bearcreek]

The route between Goldstone Pass and Rock Island Lake has been changed. The trail does not drop down to the jeep trail (FS 381) at Cowbone Lake, but stays high on the ridge, then comes down Jahnke Creek, which is the first major drainage north of there. It no longer goes down and follows the road along the Big Hole River and Skinner Lake. It does still follow FS182 which connects Miner Lake and Rock Island Lakes.