Over by Marias Pass lies a gem of a hike known as Firebrand Pass. Snow lingers into autumn on the northern aspects giving autumn a taste of spring with its flowers, while leaves turn brilliant red, orange and yellow everywhere else. On the southern side of the pass, it drops down into the Ole Creek drainage. The only campsite in this drainage is at a quaint little lake called Ole Lake nestled among jagged peaks.
The walk out of Ole Creek to the Walton Ranger Station is treed with the first half in lodgepole forests facing rocky peaks while the second half fords Ole Creek, has more undergrowth and faces wooded mountains.
Most people will approach Firebrand Pass from the False Summit or Lubec trailhead, however, I approached it from East Glacier along the Autumn Creek Trail (I would recommend the former). Firebrand Pass makes a great day hike with off trail options such as climbing Calf Robe or Red Crow Mountains or visiting beautiful Lena Lake.
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