A Path to Rainbow Trout and Valley Views
Antelope Lake Trailhead, Clark Fork, Idaho
I love rainbow trout. This passion began when I was a 10-year-old girl. I’d dig up fat worms from the black soil beneath a pile of rotting leaves in the backyard of my family’s home in Connecticut. Then I’d grab one of Dad’s fishing poles and walk down the wooded slope toward the Aspetuck River. Sitting on its bank, I’d listen to the water flow around fallen logs and cast, usually catching only tree branches.
One afternoon, I snagged a fish. The sun briefly reflected gold and pink off its body as it fought my line. Then it was gone.
I remember my disappointment. I so wanted to bring home a fish to show off to Dad. I also remember the trout’s beauty as it breached the water.
The memory of that moment flooded back as I stood looking out at Antelope Lake, at the top of the trail for which it is named in Clark Fork, Idaho.
The lake is relatively small, at 18 acres. It’s one of the many bowl-shaped cirque lakes in the region, carved by glaciers during the late stages of the Ice Age. A series of springs and seeps on the south and east sides of the lake keeps water flowing into it (Raleigh, 1993). Each year, Idaho Fish and Game restocks it with rainbow trout.
It takes only 1.5 miles to reach the water from the start of the trailhead. The uphill path is wide, muddy at the start, and well-traveled. A few downed trees from windstorms this past winter still litter the way. Ground that is covered in long green grass and yellow buttercups in the spring is brown and orange at the height of August; red-leafed shrubs of Mallow Ninebark line the trail.
There is a fork before you arrive at the lake. Go left, and you’ll arrive at the lake a few minutes sooner. But you should go right. This approach to the lake becomes beachlike. What’s more, walk a few steps off the trail toward the north, and see the best view of the Clark Fork River and surrounding town.
The beauty is postcard-perfect.
I long to bring Dad here to see it: the wide waterway, the mountains, and the farmland barns surrounded by hay bales curing in the sun. I wish he could fish here beside me just once, but his COPD leaves him frequently breathless. It’s unlikely he will ever be able to travel to Northern Idaho.
But maybe he’ll read this. See the photos. Feel a little like he’s here. And although he can’t hike these mountainsides, perhaps you can. But if you do, be good to the land and water. Carry out what you bring into the wilderness. Don’t feed the mountain goats. Kayak, paddleboard, or canoe, but consider leaving the motorboats at the docks. There aren’t too many places like this left; let’s honor it.
JUST THE FACTS: Antelope Lake Trail, Clark Fork, ID
Distance: 3 miles (total out and back)
Estimated Time: ~ 2 hours
Elevation Gain: 682 feet
Key Highlights: Rainbow trout-filled lake, views of Clark Fork River valley.
Difficulty: Moderate
Call for Comments: Have you hiked Antelope Lake Trail? Share your stories, tips, and local history in the comments, or submit to Readers’ Hike to have your adventure highlighted.
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References:
Raleigh, Robert F. Aquatic Inventories of Three Mountain Lakes in Northern Idaho. Technical Bulletin no. 93-3, Bureau of Land Management, Idaho State Office, Oct. 1993. Internet Archive, archive.org/details/aquaticinventori31rale.