Little Boulder
- 12.5 mi
- round trip
- 3,910 ft
- climb
- 8,827 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Is Little Boulder 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.
Little Boulder is a hard hike in the West Fork Ranger District of Montana's Bitterroot National Forest, about 7 miles from the town of Alta. The trail is an out-and-back that climbs from roughly 4,900 feet to about 8,800 feet, with a total elevation gain of about 3,900 feet over a route of about 12.5 miles. The trail is natural-surfaced, and the climb is steep. Plan for a long day with a significant amount of elevation to cover. Slate Creek Campground sits about 2 miles away, and the TOOK CREEK and Elk Creek hikes are each within about 2.5 miles. Paddlers can find the Nez Perce Fork about 6 miles off.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
HIKE
TOOK CREEK
~4 min drive
1.46-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 555 ft elevation gain and loss.
HIKE
ELK CREEK
~4 min drive
4.1-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 3,269 ft elevation gain
HIKE
TOOK CREEK
~5 min drive
2.16-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,185 ft gain
HIKE
TOOK CREEK
~5 min drive
1.28-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 739 ft elevation gain/loss
HIKE
Mud Creek
~5 min drive
7.40-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,009 ft gain.
HIKE
TOOK CREEK
~5 min drive
3.42-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,607 ft elevation gain
HIKE
TOOK CREEK
~6 min drive
1.42-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 739 ft gain
HIKE
MUD CREEK
~5 min drive
2.82-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,625 ft elevation gain/loss
HIKE
TOOK-MUD RIDGE
~5 min drive
3.24-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,288 ft elevation gain
HIKE
TOOK CREEK
~6 min drive
1.22-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 608 ft gain/loss.
Route details
- Distance
- 12.5 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 3,910 ft
- Starts at
- LITTLE BOULDER TRAILHEAD (about 5,079 ft)
- Summit
- 8,833 ft
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- About 6 hours
Getting there
Park at LITTLE BOULDER TRAILHEAD.
Questions about this route
How long is the Little Boulder on Piquett Mountain?
About 12.5 mi round trip from LITTLE BOULDER TRAILHEAD (about 5,079 ft).
How much elevation gain is on the Little Boulder?
About 3,910 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Little Boulder?
It is rated hard.
Where does the Little Boulder start?
LITTLE BOULDER TRAILHEAD (about 5,079 ft).
How long does the Little Boulder take?
About 6 hours round trip.
Conditions and forecast on Piquett Mountain
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
