Kootenai Cabin Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Wildflowers

A lot of downfall and poorly maintained.

Right where the Waterton Valley trail begins to climb up towards the Highline Trail, a faint trail continues up the drainage. It doesn't receive much traffic or maintenance, so it gets very faint at times and may involve traveling through some downfall.

The first part is through a wonderful, wet forest which comes into a meadow at the bottom of an avalanche chute. The trail seems to fork, with the trail to the right, disappearing into the woods, while another one takes off to the left through the meadow.

Take the left through the valley where the trail seems to disappear. Stay left and look for a swath cut through the thick stand of alders. Keep heading uphill until you find the trail once more. Once you do, an obvious trail reveals itself and takes you through the woods again to the cabin.

Mix of burned and unburned forest gives a variety of plants from fireweed and geraniums to arnica and dogwood. Small birds and mammals are common as well as the occasional bear, elk, and the very rare wolf.

This content was created by Jake Bramante of Hike 734. Visit hike734.com for more expert Glacier content and maps that help you decide which trail to run.

Great forest birds and forest flowers. Many animals from elk to moose to bear live here, but are hard to see due to the dense forest.