Buck Creek
- 16.5 mi
- round trip
- 1,557 ft
- climb
- 5,719 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jul–Sep
- best months
Is Buck Creek open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Idaho Panhandle National Forests. It doesn't name Buck Creek, so check the source for the area it covers (4 listed).
Emergency Road Closure Lightning Creek / Forest Road 419
Agency closure covering Idaho Panhandle National Forests · Order 0104-06-26-002 · USFS · Idaho Panhandle National Forests
Emergency Road Closure Forest Road 225, Slate Creek
Agency closure covering St. Joe Ranger District · Order 01-04-04-26-001 · USFS · St. Joe Ranger District
Abandoned Mines Area Closure
Agency closure covering Idaho Panhandle National Forests · Order 1-04-00-25-001 · USFS · Idaho Panhandle National Forests
Idaho Panhandle Seasonal Food Storage Order
Agency closure covering Idaho Panhandle National Forests · Order 01-04-00-24-001 · USFS · Idaho Panhandle National Forests
Heavy Truck Traffic on FS Road 209
Agency alert covering Idaho Panhandle National Forests · USFS · Idaho Panhandle National Forests
As of · Source: USFS · Idaho Panhandle National Forests. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Buck Creek is a hard hike in the St. Joe Ranger District of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, within the Snow Peak Wildlife Management Area. The land is managed by State Fish and Wildlife, and the route is an out-and-back of about 16.5 miles, with a one-way climb of 1,557 feet from a low point of 3,416 feet to a high of 5,719 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mullan Pass show July and August highs around 70°F with only about six wet days a month, while winter highs stay near 28°F. The trail is natural-surface and allows horses and bikes. It is not an accessible trail. Snow Peak is less than a mile away, and Lightning Ridge is about 1.5 miles off. Peggy Peak and Mammoth Springs campground are both within about 4 miles.
Local outfitters
- CDA River RV49 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jul–Sep
Best time to visit Buck Creek
Best months: July–September. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
28° / 19°
19 wet
Feb
28° / 19°
17 wet
Mar
34° / 22°
19 wet
Apr
40° / 27°
17 wet
May
50° / 36°
15 wet
Jun
58° / 42°
13 wet
Jul
70° / 52°
6 wet
Aug
69° / 51°
6 wet
Sep
59° / 44°
8 wet
Oct
44° / 32°
13 wet
Nov
32° / 23°
17 wet
Dec
27° / 18°
18 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mullan Pass Vor/Dme, ID, 26.6 mi away at 6,028 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
HIKE
Snow Peak
~1 min drive
9.32-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,489 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
BEAVER CREEK
~11 min drive
2.18-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,262 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Waterfall
~12 min drive
0.79-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 53 ft gain.
HIKE
Simmons Ridge Trail
~15 min drive
15.16-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 4,938 ft gain and 6,613 ft max elevation.
HIKE
PEGGY PEAK
~6 min drive
13.74-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 3,823 ft gain and 6,205 ft max elevation.
HIKE
Beaver Peak
~11 min drive
5.50-mile out-and-back trail at Beaver Peak in Idaho with 332 ft gain.
HIKE
Stubtoe
~12 min drive
Stubtoe is a 1.34-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 585 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Larkins Creek
~16 min drive
9.90-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 3,428 ft gain.
HIKE
Papoose Creek
~7 min drive
6.22-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,214 ft gain.
HIKE
Haggerty Ridge
~15 min drive
4.70-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,418 ft elevation gain.
