North Star Ridge
- 8.9 mi
- round trip
- 2,374 ft
- climb
- 5,580 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is North Star Ridge open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 4 alerts for Bitterroot National Forest.
Pile burning on West Fork Ranger and Darby-Sula Districts Nov. 3
Agency alert covering Bitterroot National Forest · USFS · Bitterroot National Forest
Pile burning on West Fork Ranger District end of October
Agency alert covering West Fork Ranger District · USFS · West Fork Ranger District
Pile burning on West Fork Ranger District Oct. 26
Agency alert covering West Fork Ranger District · USFS · West Fork Ranger District
Two Prescribed Burns Planned for the week of Oct. 5 - Piquett Creek & Cameron Gap
Agency alert covering Bitterroot National Forest · USFS · Bitterroot National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Bitterroot National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
North Star Ridge is a hard hike in Idaho's Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, on the West Fork Ranger District of the Bitterroot National Forest. The trail is an out-and-back of about 8.9 miles, with a one-way elevation gain of 2,374 feet, taking you from a low point of about 3,261 feet to a high of about 5,580 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Red River put July and August highs around 80°F with lows in the low 40s, and the station sits roughly 1,200 feet below the ridge, so temperatures up high run cooler. Several other trails lie close by. North Star Creek is about a mile away, and the Selway River Trail and Selway River - SBW are each about 1.3 miles off. For an overnight base, Paradise Campground is about 7 miles away.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit North Star Ridge
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.
Jan
35° / 15°
Feb
39° / 17°
Mar
46° / 21°
Apr
53° / 26°
May
61° / 33°
Jun
70° / 39°
Jul
80° / 42°
Aug
80° / 39°
Sep
73° / 33°
Oct
56° / 27°
Nov
42° / 20°
Dec
33° / 15°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Red River Rs, ID, 30.6 mi away at 4,350 ft. The station sits about 1,200 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Northwest Rafting Company, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Whitecap Creek
~12 min drive
16-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,216 ft gain.
HIKE
Fry Pan Creek Trail
~7 min drive
7.62-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,783 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Selway River Trail
~7 min drive
2.68-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,845 ft elevation gain and loss.
Photo: Northwest Rafting Company, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Bad Luck Ridge
~12 min drive
15.74-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 4,221 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Eagle Rock Trail
~7 min drive
19.52-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 6,298 ft elevation gain/loss.
HIKE
Forest Divide
~7 min drive
4.38-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 779 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
North Star Creek
~2 min drive
9.52-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,450 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
CROW CREEK RIDGE
~9 min drive
15.66-mile out-and-back ridge trail in Idaho with 5,426 ft elevation gain
HIKE
Selway River - Sbw
~2 min drive
22.60-mile out-and-back trail along Selway River in Idaho with 379 ft gain.
HIKE
Bear Creek Trail
~9 min drive
45.5-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 5,487 ft elevation gain/loss.
