Jewel Basin Loop

Dogs Leashed

Features Fall Colors · Lake · Views

A wonderful loop through the Jewel Basin, about 1 hour south of Glacier and about 1 hour north of Missoula. You won't get the grand views of Glacier, but you'll get lush forest, vibrant colors, lakes, and a more remote feel. There are a number of trails in the area and several can be connected with this loop to shorten or lengthen the hike. A good map is located at the TH to give additional guidance and hopefully more hikes and trails in the area will be added to this app.

There are several car (not anything bigger than a large van) camping spots on the way up the access road, including one about 0.5 mile from the TH.

This is grizzly country. I did not see any nor, surprisingly, did I even see any scat. However, there were plenty of berries, so I imagine they are around. Just be aware, make noise, etc.—you know the routine.

This trail starts at the poorly named "Camp Misery" trailhead.

You'll start at the trailhead and follow Trail #717 as it climbs through the woods. This starts off as a doubletrack but becomes singletrack after a mile or two. The trail continues to climb toward the ridgeline. At 3 miles, you'll reach the ridge and the microwave tower building on top.

The trail can get a little tricky here as there isn't clear guidance on where to go and the trail isn't obvious. Follow the ridge to the right (southeast), and you'll see the trail going along the ridgeline. After another half mile, the trail swings around the ridge, to the north/northwest, and begins dropping to Picnic Lakes.

This turn can be hard to see and a group in front of me (and another person I ran into later) continued to go down the ridge past the turn. Enough people have done this that it does appear the trail heads in that direction, continuing along the ridge. Use the Hiking Project mobile app to track your movements, and you'll be fine. If things start feeling wrong, check your position.

From that tricky turn, the trail drops down to Picnic Lakes, two lakes that are definitely a good place to linger for a moment.

From the lakes, the trail continues to the west briefly, before connecting with Trail #721, heading to the north toward Twin Lakes, tracking just beneath the ridge. Or, if you prefer, you can continue on the original trail back to the parking area, cutting 2.2 miles (and the best 2.2 miles of the trip, in my opinion) off the loop.

At Twin Lakes, the trail will begin climbing gently toward the ridge and turning west to loop around this ridgeline. The views are spectacular and if you have the privilege of hiking this while the colors are changing (as I did in late September), it is simply stunning.

Once on the other side of the ridge, the trail will continue to turn to the left until you are heading due south.

The trail is easily to follow, and it is a gentle descent back to the parking area.