Lone Mountain Trail
Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)- 10.0 mi
- round trip
- 1,061 ft
- climb
- 6,485 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Lone Mountain Trail 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.
Lone Mountain Trail is a 10-mile out-and-back hike in Montana's Scapegoat Wilderness, part of the Lincoln Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is rated hard, with a total elevation gain of 1,061 feet from the low point at 5,638 feet to the high point at 6,485 feet. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows horses, so riders can take it as well as hikers. It is open year-round, and the surrounding wilderness makes it a destination for a full day in the backcountry. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs around 78°F with lows near 49°F, while temperatures on the trail run cooler than those figures because the station sits about 1,600 feet lower. Landers Fork, a canoeing spot, lies just 0.2 miles away, and the Mainline Trail and Heart Lake Trail are both within about a mile and a half. Copper Creek Campground, about 2.4 miles off, offers a place to stay overnight.
Local outfitters
- MTBCity43 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Landers ForkCanoeing0.2 mi
- Mainline TrailHikingPhoto: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)0.8 mi
- Heart Lake TrailHiking1.4 mi
- Landers Fork TrailHiking1.9 mi
- Silver King TrailHiking2.3 mi
- Copper Creek CampgroundCamping2.4 mi
- Switchback Hill TrailHiking3.3 mi
- Red Mountain TrailHiking3.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Mainline TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)
- Heart Lake TrailHiking · ~2 min drive
- Bighorn LakeHiking · ~9 min drive
- Landers Fork TrailHiking · ~3 min drive
- Switchback Hill TrailHiking · ~6 min drive
- Keep Cool SpurHiking · ~12 min drive
- Silver King TrailHiking · ~4 min drive
- Copper CampHiking · ~11 min drive
- Sourdough Basin TrailHiking · ~12 min drive
- Red Mountain TrailHiking · ~6 min drive
Best time to visit Lone Mountain Trail
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
30° / 12°
6 wet
Feb
32° / 13°
6 wet
Mar
41° / 19°
7 wet
Apr
50° / 26°
8 wet
May
60° / 35°
9 wet
Jun
68° / 42°
9 wet
Jul
78° / 49°
6 wet
Aug
78° / 47°
6 wet
Sep
67° / 39°
6 wet
Oct
51° / 30°
6 wet
Nov
37° / 19°
6 wet
Dec
29° / 13°
6 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Austin 1 W, MT, 36.3 mi away at 4,851 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.
