Waddel Creek Trail
Montana
Free — you'll pick up right here.
4.1 mi
Distance
2,131 ft
Gain
1h 47m
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 Bitterroot 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
Here's your day, mapped
Waddel Creek Trail
Suggested plan · check conditions before you go
Meals
Gear for the day
Elevation & route
- Distance
- 4.1 mi
- Elevation gain
- 2,131 ft
- Elevation loss
- 2,131 ft
- Highest point
- 5,255 ft
- Lowest point
- 4,422 ft
Photos
Directions & GPX
Permits & access
- Managing agency
- Forest Service
About this trail
Waddel Creek Trail is an 8.14-mile out-and-back hike in Montana with 2,131 feet of elevation gain. The trail reaches a maximum elevation of 5,255 feet.
Facts about this trail
The climb
- Starts at
- 5,108 ft
- High point
- 5,255 ft
- Total climbing
- 2,131 ft
- Total descent
- 2,131 ft
- Steepest stretch
- 16% grade around mile 2.1 on the way out
- Length (round trip)
- 8.1 mi
- Shape
- Out and back
Source: Roamze elevation profile and trail geometry (DEM samples along the mapped route)
Where it is
- Darby Ranger District · Ranger district
- Bitterroot National Forest · National forest
- Managed by
- Forest Service
Conditions
Active alerts for Bitterroot National Forest as of Oct 9, 2026:
Two Prescribed Burns Planned for the week of Oct. 5 - Piquett Creek & Cameron Gap
fire-restriction · posted Oct 2, 2026
OPEN: FS Road 720 open as of Sept. 28; Lost Horse, Lick Creek, 711 Rd, and 75 Roads are open
information · posted Sep 28, 2026
Bitterroot National Forest Food Storage Order
information · posted Aug 24, 2026
Source: USFS forest alerts
Nearby
- Tin Cup OverlookHiking0.3 mi
- ChuteMountain biking0.6 mi
- Bunkhouse TrailHiking1 mi
- Three Frogs CampgroundCamping1.8 mi
- Upper Como CampgroundCamping1.8 mi
- Woods CabinCamping1.8 mi
- Mother Lode BouldersRock climbing3.7 mi
- Midnight Light BulbRock climbing3.9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Add to a trip & share
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Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
