North Clearwater Loop

Montana

Montana

Free — you'll pick up right here.

4.9 mi

Distance

1,561 ft

Gain

2h 11m

Time

No verdict for this trail

We won't guess. Here is exactly what we do and don't know.

What we do know

  • Inside Lolo National Forest

    2 managing-area boundaries mapped — agency alerts for them feed this page automatically.

    Boundary data

What's missing

  • No access route mapped

    We don't yet know which road reaches this trailhead, so we can't tell you if it's gated.

Nobody's filed a report here yet — be the first.

Why you'll love it

Through-trail
Out & back

Here's your day, mapped

North Clearwater Loop

Suggested plan · check conditions before you go

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Meals

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Elevation & route

Distance
4.9 mi
Elevation gain
1,561 ft
Elevation loss
1,561 ft
Highest point
4,923 ft
Lowest point
4,121 ft
More about this trail ↓

Photos

Directions & GPX

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Permits & access

No permit or access details on file for this trail — check with the local land manager before you go.

About this trail

The North Clearwater Out-and-back is a 9.76-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,561 feet of elevation gain and loss. The route reaches a maximum elevation of 4,923 feet.

Facts about this trail

The climb

Starts at
4,121 ft
High point
4,923 ft
Total climbing
1,561 ft
Total descent
1,561 ft
Steepest stretch
11% grade around mile 0.5 on the way out
Length (round trip)
9.8 mi
Shape
Out and back

Most of the climbing comes early, so the second half is easier.

Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)

When to go

Typical monthly averages (not a forecast) from the Lindbergh Lake, MT weather station, 6.7 mi away. High / low in °F, and days with snow.

  1. Jan31° high16° low17 days with snow
  2. Feb34° high17° low14 days with snow
  3. Mar42° high23° low11 days with snow
  4. Apr50° high30° low6 days with snow
  5. May60° high38° low1 days with snow
  6. Jun68° high45° low
  7. Jul78° high50° low
  8. Aug78° high49° low
  9. Sep67° high41° low
  10. Oct51° high32° low3 days with snow
  11. Nov38° high24° low10 days with snow
  12. Dec29° high16° low16 days with snow

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020

Where it is

Source: USFS EDW boundaries

Conditions

Active alerts for Lolo National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:

Source: USFS forest alerts

Nearby

Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)

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Guided trips nearby

Local operatorsoffering guided trips. You book directly with them — Roamze doesn’t take a cut.

Granite Peak RV Resort

Hiking business nearby (~38 mi away) — hasn't claimed their Roamze page yet

View operator