Suggested Hikes

SUGGESTED BITTERROOT HIKES

If you are looking for beautiful scenery without having to travel too far, you have come to the right place. Listed here are some suggestions for a great day hike.

This list of hikes was provided by the Bitterroot National Forest Service.

LAKE COMO LOOP 7.5 miles

EASY

FULL LOOP On Hwy 93, twelve miles south of Hamilton, turn right on Lake Como Rd. Drive approximately three miles and turn right on FS Road 5623. Continue to the Upper Como campground where the trailhead begins. Stock use is restricted on the North trail. There is access across the dam making this hike a complete loop around the lake. This loop is also a suggested mountain bike trail. North trail ends at the bridge/falls - this is the point of access to the Rock Creek trail.

CAMAS LAKE

5.4 miles

EASY - 1,230 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Approximately 9.3 miles south of Hamilton on US Hwy 93, turn right (west) on Lost Horse Road #429, follow this road for 2.3 miles. Turn north on Road #496 signed for Camas Creek and travel 6.1 miles to the signed trailhead. Trail ends at Camas Lake. The first half mile is an old logging road. Beginner mountain biking trail for the first 2 miles. The trail crosses two foot log bridges. This day hike leads to a mountain lake.

BAILEY LAKE

2 miles

EASY - 640 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Take US Hwy 93 to its marked junction with Lost Horse Road, approximately 9 miles south of Hamilton. Turn west and follow this winding mountain road though the countryside and into the canyon beyond. This road features numerous turnouts and reaches the Lost Horse Guard Station in 17.7 miles. Here the road forks; veer left to locate the signed Bailey Lake Trailhead after another .2 mile. This hike takes you to a shallow mountain lake that lies within 45 minutes of the roadside trailhead.

BLODGETT OVERLOOK

3.0 miles

EASY - 540 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Turn west on Main St. in Hamilton off Hwy 93 (at second stop light). Continue as Main St. becomes West Bridge Rd. (keep to the right). At the end of West Bridge Rd. turn left on Blodgett Camp Rd. and follow the signs to the Canyon Creek Trailhead. This is a combined trailhead for both BLodgett Overlook and Canyon Creek trails. Both share the same trail for the first 20 yards after which the Blodgett Overlook trail takes off to the right. There are resting spots and benches along the way.

COYOTE COULEE

8.8 miles

MODERATE - 1,490 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Take US Hwy 93 to Lost Horse Road approximately 9 miles south of Hamilton. FOllow the paved road west for 2.3 miles and veer right onto Forest Road #496. Continue .2 miles to the trailhead for Coyote Coulee. The trail consists largely of the stitched together segments of old orchard roads and spur railway grades. The entire route offers a varied course with lots of ups and downs. The trail was developed in cooperation with the Bitterroot Backcountry Horsemen, so you should see lots of equestrians on the trail.

BEAR CREEK OVERLOOK

2.8 miles

MODERATE - 1,160 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK From Hwy 93, turn west onto Bear Creek Road and drive 2.3 miles. Turn right onto Red Crow Road and drive 2 miles. Turn left at the junction 2.25 miles from the end of the pavement onto Forest Road #1325. This turn is not always marked, so pay close attention as you drive. Drive the last 3.6 miles to the trailhead at a Forest Service gate. It takes less than an hour to reach Bear Creek Overlook. There is no other trail quite equal to the visual impact of this trail.

BEAR CREEK

15.4 miles

MODERATE - 2,730 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Take US Hwy 93 to Tucker Crossing, 3 miles south of Victor, and follow Bear Creek Road west for 2.3 miles. Turn right at a marked intersection with Red Crow Road. Proceed north for .8 mile, veer left for the final 3 miles. About 1.5 miles from the trailhead is a series of waterfalls. This makes a perfect destination for a day hike. At mile 7.7, the trail ends at Bryan Lake. For those interested in longer outings, this trail can be used as the starting point for a multi-day hike to Big Creek Canyon.

SWEATHOUSE FALLS 4 miles

EASY - 1,330 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK From Victor, take 5th Avenue west and turn north at the T intersection with Pleasant View Drive after 1.0 mile. Continue north for .5 mile before turning west once again on Sweathouse Creek Road. At this point follow the road for 3 miles to reach the trailhead parking area. It is 1.8 miles to the lower Sweathouse Falls and another .2 mile to the upper Sweathosue Falls.

SAINT MARY PEAK

6.4 miles

MODERATE - 2,490 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Take US Hwy 93 to the trailhead signs at Indian Prairie Loop, 3.6 miles south of Stevensville turn-off. Follow the road west for 1.3 miles, then turn right onto Saint Mary’s Road and continue to the next road junction .5 mile beyond. Hang a left and follow the dirt road for 10.8 miles to the trailhead. Saint May Peak rises from the timbered foothilss west of Stevensville. It is a moderately difficult climb and is a very popular hike. There is a Forest Service fire lookout tower on top of the summit.

LARRY CREEK COMPLEX

.4-6.5 miles

EASY

HIKING & HORSEBACK LOOPS Take US Hwy 93 to Bass Creek Road, 4 miles south of Florence, and follow signs for the Charles Waters Campground. The road forks shortly after crossing a bridge over Bass Creek. Stay right and continue north to the day use parking area or to the Larry Creek Campground. The Larry Creek Complex offers .4 - 6.5 miles of hiking and horseback riding loops.

BASS LAKE

16.8 miles

MODERATE - 3,240 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Take US Hwy 93 to Bass Creek Road, 4 miles south of Florence, and follow the signs for Charles Waters Campground. Parkign is available at the upper west end of the recreation area. The trail follows an old dozer grade. It is one of the most popular backcountry lakes in the Bitterroot. The lake has a good population of trout. It is also very scenic and has camp spots.

KOOTENAI CREEK

19 miles

MODERATE - 2,680 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK From the Stevensville junction on Hwy 93, travel north 1 mile. Turn west on Kootenai Creek Rd. and continue 2 miles to the trailhead. This trail is a rather steep trail and offers excellent views of the river and falls. The trail enters the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness at approximately 2.5 miles. There are 4 different lakes about a mile further from the end of the trail: North Kootenai Lake, Middle Fork Lakes and South Kootenai Lake. You can also take trail #301 (2.5 miles) which meets up with Bass Creek Trail.

BAKER LAKE

2.4 miles

EASY - 880 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK From Darby, drive south on US Hwy 93 for 4.4 miles to the West Fork Road, Route 473. Turn right and drive another mile to a second junction. Take the right fork again and drive to the end another 7.5 miles. This road gains a considerable amount of elevation, climbing the mountain via switchbacks. There is limited parking and no trailhead facilities. The trail is rough, but well defined. Baker Lake is a high alpine lake at about 7,800 feet elevation.The lake offers good cutthroat trout fishing.

BOULDER CREEK

19 miles

MODERATE - 2,810 FEET ELEVATION GAIN

OUT & BACK Follow US Hwy 93 to its junction with West Fork Road, 4.4 miles south of Darby. Continue south along the West Fork for 13.5 miles to reach the marked turn-off for the Boulder Creek Trailhead. Turn here and follow Forest Road #5731 past Sam Billings Campground for the remaining 1.4 miles to the trailhead. The trail is a 3.4 mile hike to Boulder Falls and ends at Boulder Lake at mile 9.5. It is a scenic hike with lakes, meadows, waterfalls & fishing.

Photo by Chuck Stranahan

Flyfishing the Bitterroot - Something for Everyone

Chuck Stranahan

Every year, anglers are drawn to the Bitterroot River.

First-time visitors, regular returnees, and long-time residents enjoy the splendid scenery of the Bitterroot Range towering above treelined banks as they cast dry flies for the river’s native Westslope Cutthroat and wild rainbow and brown trout.

Many veteran anglers see the river for the first time as the clients of guides who float the river. Many of them return, season after season, and some from that number choose to relocate here.

The Bitterroot River has gained a national reputation as a premier fly fishing destination. As such, you can expect to see other anglers enjoying the river when you go out. That’s true of any well-known Montana fishery.

The Bitterroot is unique. Here, in addition to the eighty-odd miles of fishable water in the main stem of the Bitterroot itself, there are medium-sized streams that are ideal for the wading angler – and that still hold enough sizeable trout to add intrigue to the venture.

The East Fork and West Fork of the Bitterroot join at the valley’s southern end to flow northward toward its junction with the Clark Fork near Missoula. The Forks, as they’re known locally, are dotted with public access spots and camping areas that provide plenty of access for the wading angler, and home base for family outings. Like the main river, the fish in the forks are all wild, with beautiful native Westslope Cutthroats predominating. The average size of these fish might surprise: in water this size in other parts of the country, one might expect a ten-incher to be a big one. That might be an average fish on the West Fork or East Fork, and the intrigue of catching fish that are much larger, bigger than you’d expect the water to hold, is an intriguing possibility.

And then there are the small streams that tumble like jewels from the crown of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness Area that borders the western edge of the valley. The fish here are smaller, but their iridescent beauty and wild abandon to take the fly and fight beyond their size belies their wilderness heritage. There is no better place to get a youngster into a first fish on a fly.

There are trailheads into this wilderness throughout the valley, most just a few minutes’ drive from the main roads. You can plan a day hike, awed by the grandeur of a deep-cut canyon that ascends to the tree line, or walk ten minutes on a well-groomed trail and have a stretch of stream filled with native trout all to yourself.

Such an outing can be tonic for the soul – and a respite of solitude away from the civilization that encroaches on the banks of a major trout stream. To get in on any of it, check with the Bitterroot Valley Chamber of Commerce, a local fly shop, or a U.S. Forest Service office in the area.