Idaho · Hiking

Lower Herd Creek Trail

8.2 mi
round trip
643 ft
climb
6,471 ft
high point
Out and back
route
May–Sep
best months

Lower Herd Creek Trail is an out-and-back hike in Idaho on land managed by the State Department of Land. The route is about 8 miles long, with a one-way climb of roughly 640 feet from a low point of about 5,800 feet to a high of about 6,470 feet. It is rated hard. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Chilly Barton Flat show July highs around 82°F with lows near 47°F, while winter brings highs in the low 30s and regular snow days from December through February. The trail is on natural surface, and both horses and bikes are allowed. Fox Creek is about 1.3 miles away, and Herd Creek, a canoeing spot, is about 2.9 miles off. Joe Jump Basin and Herd Lake Campground are within about 6.5 miles.

Local outfitters

Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.

  • Best time to go · May–Sep

    Best time to visit Lower Herd Creek Trail

    Best months: May–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.

    1. Jan

      31° / 7°

      4 wet · 4 snow

    2. Feb

      34° / 11°

      4 wet · 3 snow

    3. Mar

      44° / 21°

      5 wet · 2 snow

    4. Apr

      53° / 28°

      7 wet · 1 snow

    5. May

      63° / 35°

      9 wet

    6. Jun

      72° / 41°

      7 wet

    7. Jul

      82° / 47°

      6 wet

    8. Aug

      80° / 45°

      5 wet

    9. Sep

      72° / 37°

      5 wet

    10. Oct

      57° / 28°

      5 wet · 1 snow

    11. Nov

      41° / 18°

      5 wet · 2 snow

    12. Dec

      30° / 9°

      5 wet · 4 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Chilly Barton Flat, ID, 25.7 mi away at 6,260 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive

JIMMY SMITH CREEKPhoto: U.S. Forest Service employees, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Herd Lake Campsite TrailPhoto: BLMIdaho, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Herd Lake Campsite Trail

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FRENCH CREEKPhoto: roy.luck, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)

FRENCH CREEK

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Livingston Mill Castle Divide TrailPhoto: U.S. Forest Service employees, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Livingston Mill Castle Divide Trail

~24 min drive

19.48-mile out-and-back hike in Idaho with 4,350 ft elevation gain and loss.

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Joe Jump Basin

~6 min drive

4.82-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,991 ft elevation gain.

Herd Lake TrailPhoto: BLMIdaho, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

Herd Lake Trail

~13 min drive

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Livingston Mill-Castle DividePhoto: U.S. Forest Service employees, Public domain (via Wikimedia Commons)

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~24 min drive

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BIG LAKE CREEK

~24 min drive

16.1-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 3,358 ft elevation gain and loss.

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SNAKE TRAIL

~9 min drive

7.84-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,421 ft elevation gain and loss.

Baker LakePhoto: Philthy54 at English Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)

Baker Lake

~25 min drive

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