Getting There: At Superior, take Diamond Road east past the Town Pump Gas Station for 6 miles; passing the Bark mill and the Magone Ranches to the end of the pavement where the road changes to Trout Creek Road (#250). Continue up Trout Creek Road (~19 miles) until you top out on Hoodoo Pass on the Idaho/Montana border.
Take the state line trail #738 for just under 3 miles, the lake will be visible from the state line. There is no official trail down to the lake, but there are/were some marginal game trails that can be followed around the left side of the hillside above the lake for a total of 3 miles.
In 2023, I revisited Hidden Lake and found that most of the game trails had disappeared. There is a game trail that runs to the left side of the basin toward a saddle and goes partway down the hillside. Unfortunately, it disappears just as you get to the steepest part of the hillside. The best way down is to head to the left of the trees above the lake and work your way across the slope that way. There just isn’t an easy & clean way down.
At the Lake: There is a small campsite back in the trees from the outlet area. I found in 2023 that it is covered in some blowdown. A little work could clear out the site again. There is a trail of sorts around most of the lake but expect to fight some brush. Fishing was good for Brook Trout. I didn’t fish in 2023 (October) but I could see several fish cruising the shoreline. I think Montana Fish & Game tried to plant Cutthroats a few years ago.
When I was in my teens, I had always heard that there weren’t any fish in the lake, but one day I noticed some fish rising and found a new place for some great fishing. The lake is not that big, and it does not have the reputation of Heart / Pearl / Dalton Lakes, so a lot of people just pass it by. Also, the lack of a trail discourages most. In 2023 when I was climbing back out of the lake there were several people on the state line watching me. They were hollering at me “how did you get down there”.
