Forest Lake
- 6.3 mi
- round trip
- 81 ft
- climb
- 6,447 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Caution at last check
Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 12 h ago
Is Forest Lake open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Forest Lake is an easy hike in Montana's Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, on the Helena Ranger District, about 6 miles from the town of Helena. It's an out-and-back route of about 6.3 miles, with a one-way elevation gain of about 80 feet, so the climb is slight. The trail has a natural surface and is open year-round. Bikes are allowed. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical July averages from a nearby weather station in Elliston run to a high of about 81°F and a low of about 46°F. That station sits roughly 1,400 feet lower than the high point on the trail, so temperatures up high run cooler. Lava Mountain lies just 0.3 miles away, and Park Lake Campground is about a mile off. The Colorado Mountain Trail is about 3 miles away, and Moose Creek Campground is about 6 miles away.
Local outfitters
- MTBCity11 mi away
- Copper Court RV Park43 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Lava MountainHiking0.3 mi
- Park Lake CampgroundCamping1.1 mi
- Chessman RoadMountain biking1.5 mi
- Colorado Mountain TrailHiking3 mi
- Moose Creek CampgroundCamping6.3 mi
- Sheep MountainRock climbing7 mi
- Right RockRock climbing7.5 mi
- Tenmile CreekCanoeing8.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Rodney MeadowHiking · ~16 min drivePhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Black Hall Meadows TrailHiking · ~5 min drive
- Brooklyn BridgeHiking · ~8 min drive
- South DumpHiking · ~17 min drivePhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Road 1876-THiking · ~6 min drive
- Switchback RidgeHiking · ~11 min drive
West End TrailHiking · ~17 min drivePhoto: ericmerrill, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Ten Mile EnvironmentalHiking · ~11 min drive
- Treasure Mt 1Hiking · ~15 min drive
- 218-T RoadHiking · ~10 min drive
Best time to visit Forest Lake
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
33° / 11°
Feb
33° / 12°
Mar
43° / 19°
Apr
51° / 26°
May
60° / 35°
Jun
69° / 41°
Jul
81° / 46°
Aug
80° / 44°
Sep
69° / 36°
Oct
53° / 27°
Nov
39° / 17°
Dec
31° / 10°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Elliston, MT, 14.7 mi away at 5,080 ft. The station sits about 1,400 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.
