St. Joe River
- 41.6 mi
- round trip
- 929 ft
- climb
- 4,722 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is St. Joe River open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Idaho Panhandle National Forests. It doesn't name St. Joe River, 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.
The St. Joe River is a 41.6-mile out-and-back hike in Idaho's Idaho Panhandle National Forests, within the St. Joe Ranger District. The trail rises from about 3,760 feet to about 4,720 feet, a climb of 929 feet one way, and is rated hard. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surfaced, with horses and bikes allowed. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station run to highs around 84°F in July, while temperatures on this route run cooler than that station's figures because the trail sits higher. Winter is cold, with January highs near 31°F and lows around 17°F. Spruce Tree campground sits just 0.1 mile away, and the Line Creek and Copper Lines Connection hikes are each about half a mile off. Red Ives Cabin is roughly 1.4 miles away.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit St. Joe River
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
31° / 17°
Feb
36° / 18°
Mar
44° / 23°
Apr
54° / 27°
May
65° / 34°
Jun
71° / 40°
Jul
84° / 43°
Aug
83° / 41°
Sep
72° / 35°
Oct
53° / 30°
Nov
38° / 24°
Dec
30° / 18°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Haugan 1 W, MT, 24.6 mi away at 3,160 ft. The station sits about 1,600 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.
Closures we've recorded since August 2026
Stage 1 Fire Restrictions for Coeur d Alene River and St. Joe Ranger Districts
Idaho Panhandle National Forests · Order dated August 7, 2026; seen Aug 23, 2026 → lifted Sep 3, 2026 · Forest Service
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
HIKE
Line Creek
Next door
6.79-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,443 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Broken Leg Trail
~5 min drive
4.59-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,699 ft elevation gain.
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Wahoo-Indian Divide
~7 min drive
10.33-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,194 ft elevation gain.
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Wahoo-Fly Connection
~8 min drive
2.68-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 122 ft gain.
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Elbow Ridge Nrt
~2 min drive
11.77-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,674 ft elevation gain.
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Indian Creek Trail
~7 min drive
6.28-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,363 ft elevation gain and loss.
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Simmons Ridge Trail
~13 min drive
15.16-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 4,938 ft gain and 6,613 ft max elevation.
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Fly Creek
~10 min drive
1.90-mile out-and-back trail at Fly Creek in Idaho with 182 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Copper Ridge
~2 min drive
17.19-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,577 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Beaver Peak
~8 min drive
5.50-mile out-and-back trail at Beaver Peak in Idaho with 332 ft gain.
