Heart Lake
- 7.9 mi
- round trip
- 2,045 ft
- climb
- 6,766 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jul–Sep
- best months
Is Heart Lake open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Lolo National Forest.
East Fork Big Creek Road & Trail Closure- Superior Ranger District
Agency alert covering Lolo National Forest · Order 26-003- · USFS · Lolo National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Lolo National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Heart Lake is a hard hike in the Superior Ranger District of Lolo National Forest in western Montana, managed by the Forest Service. The route is an out-and-back of about 7.9 miles, with a one-way climb of about 2,045 feet from a low point of roughly 4,669 feet to a high of about 6,766 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Mullan Pass, Idaho, show July and August highs around 70°F with only about six wet days a month, while winter highs stay near 28°F. The trail is natural-surface and allows both horses and bikes. Hoodoo Lake Access and Hoodoo Lake sit about a mile away, and Pearl Lake and Trail Lake are each about 2.2 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Granite Peak RV Resort40 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jul–Sep
Best time to visit Heart Lake
Best months: July–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
28° / 19°
19 wet
Feb
28° / 19°
17 wet
Mar
34° / 22°
19 wet
Apr
40° / 27°
17 wet
May
50° / 36°
15 wet
Jun
58° / 42°
13 wet
Jul
70° / 52°
6 wet
Aug
69° / 51°
6 wet
Sep
59° / 44°
8 wet
Oct
44° / 32°
13 wet
Nov
32° / 23°
17 wet
Dec
27° / 18°
18 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Mullan Pass Vor/Dme, ID, 45.3 mi away at 6,028 ft. The station sits about 700 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
HIKE
Hoodoo Lake Access
~2 min drive
0.8-mile out-and-back trail to Hoodoo Lake in Montana with 43 feet of elevation gain.
HIKE
Hoodoo Lake
~2 min drive
4.51-mile out-and-back hike to Hoodoo Lake in Montana with 1,053 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Lightning-Windfall
~5 min drive
11.80-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,494 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
BOUNDARY CREEK
~8 min drive
5.94-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 3,580 ft elevation gain
HIKE
Dalton Lake
~5 min drive
Dalton Lake is a 0.48-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 7 feet of elevation gain.
HIKE
Pearl Lake
~4 min drive
4.68-mile out-and-back trail to Pearl Lake in Montana with 1,318 ft gain.
HIKE
French Lake
~8 min drive
7.36-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,581 ft gain.
HIKE
North Fork Clearwater River Trail
~15 min drive
15.34-mile out-and-back trail on the North Fork Clearwater River in Idaho.
HIKE
Trio Lakes
~8 min drive
1.77-mile out-and-back trail to Trio Lakes in Montana with 181 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Trail Lake
~4 min drive
4.80-mile out-and-back trail to Trail Lake in Montana with 2,180 ft gain.
