Trail Creek
- 8.4 mi
- round trip
- 2,944 ft
- climb
- 6,928 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Aug
- best months
Is Trail Creek open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 5 alerts for Payette National Forest.
Over Snow Vehicle Closure
Agency alert covering Payette National Forest · Order 0412-638 · USFS · Payette National Forest
Brundage Mountain Resort Snowcat Route Closure
Agency alert covering Payette National Forest · Order 0412-637 · USFS · Payette National Forest
Lost Valley Log Hauling
Agency alert covering Payette National Forest · USFS · Payette National Forest
Granite Mountain Over Snow Vehicle Closure
Agency alert covering Payette National Forest · Order 0412-635 · USFS · Payette National Forest
Gordon Titus Upper Elevation Parking Lot Winter Restrictions
Agency alert covering Payette National Forest · Order 0412-543 · USFS · Payette National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Payette National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Trail Creek is a hard hike in the New Meadows Ranger District of Idaho's Payette National Forest, about 8.4 miles long with a one-way elevation gain of 2,944 feet. The trail is managed by the Forest Service and is an out-and-back route that climbs from a low point of about 3,984 feet to a high of about 6,928 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Warren, Idaho, put July and August highs around 79°F with lows in the mid-30s, and the station sits roughly 1,000 feet below the trail's high point, so temperatures up top run cooler. The trail is natural-surface and allows horses and bikes. It is not an accessible trail. Lonesome Ridge and Frypan Creek are both within about 1.6 miles, and Cow Camp is about 2.3 miles away. For an overnight base, Black Lake Campground is about 6.2 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Black Bear RV Park29 mi away
- Oregon Backcountry Outfitting39 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Aug
Best time to visit Trail Creek
Best months: June–August. 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° / 7°
Feb
41° / 7°
Mar
46° / 17°
Apr
50° / 20°
May
59° / 27°
Jun
68° / 34°
Jul
79° / 37°
Aug
79° / 35°
Sep
69° / 30°
Oct
56° / 23°
Nov
41° / 16°
Dec
34° / 9°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Warren, ID, 37.5 mi away at 5,907 ft. The station sits about 1,000 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: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Rattlesnake Trail
~11 min drive
7.12-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 3,373 ft gain and 5,030 ft max elevation.
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Frypan Creek
~3 min drive
3.20-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 1,861 ft gain.
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Campbells Cow Camp By-Pass
~4 min drive
Campbells Cow Camp By-Pass is a 1.16-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 101 ft of elevation gain.
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Carbonate Hill Trail
~6 min drive
8.6-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 4,559 ft elevation gain and loss.
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Rapid River Trail
~4 min drive
7.44-mile out-and-back hike in Idaho with 2,688 ft elevation gain and loss.
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Rapid River Ridge
~6 min drive
3.17-mile out-and-back trail on a ridge in Idaho with 1,017 ft gain
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Jackley Mountain Trail
~6 min drive
1.12-mile out-and-back hike in Idaho with 477 ft of elevation gain
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Rankin Mill
~10 min drive
10.07-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 2,835 ft elevation gain.
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Fall Creek
~5 min drive
7.06-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 418 ft of elevation gain.
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Echols Ridge
~9 min drive
4.31-mile out-and-back trail on Echols Ridge in Idaho with 133 ft gain.
