The area to the east of Lac le Jeune has a number of backroads, small lakes, ponds, marshes, and hills inviting exploration.    The east side of the area was burned in the Rossmoore Forest Fire of 2023.  Some roads were improved to provide better access and some were deactivated so the maps don’t correctly reflect all of the routes.    On an early fall day, I drove on the Rossmoore Forest Service Road to a spot near Custer Lake, then hiked a backroad and single track loop route.   

After visiting Custer Lake, I hiked along a rough track which is the old connector track to Rossmoore Lake.    It is a nightmare to drive, but it can be done by ATVs, mountain bikes, and dirt bikes.    I have hiked and snowshoed the track in past years.   It is narrow, rocky, and has deep potholes in the early season.    A favorite route is to hike over to a hilltop-ridge overlooking Rossmoore Lake.    For this day, the plan was to take a side track to the northeast corner of Fred Lake.     I have hiked the track that goes to the western corner of Fred Lake before, and once I backpacked my folding kayak to the lakeshore to paddle the lake.  On this day the lake was quiet and after a summer of drought conditions, the shoreline had receded.    After visiting the lake, I continued east toward Rossmoore Lake, but this time I had hoped to try a loop route, using an old track that connected roads.    I found that it had been used to clear burned trees and it was deactivated (dug up) after.    Fortunately, cattle and deer had used the route and there was a single track at the side all the way through.     I arrived at a junction.   A sign called it 4 Corners.    This backroad connects Lac le Jeune to the Bute Lakes area near the McConnell Forest Service Road.    I have explored the Bute Lakes area in the past.   I followed the road back to where I started on a good road.     There are many small lakes in the area to see surrounded by the colors of fall.

This route was an exploration, but the visits to the lakes made it all worthwhile.    Shared here are some photos taken along the way.

Captions for the photos can be viewed by clicking on any photo. 

More Information (links):

• Custer Lake Loop
• Rossmoore Lake Paddle and Hike
• Custer Lake Loop (YouTube)