Lower Tepee
- 3.8 mi
- round trip
- 425 ft
- climb
- 8,452 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jul–Aug
- best months
Is Lower Tepee open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Custer Gallatin National Forest. It doesn't name Lower Tepee, so check the source for the area it covers (16 listed).
NFSR #1700 South Plateau Road Closure
Agency closure covering Custer Gallatin National Forest · USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest
Lonesomewood Prescribed Fire Area, Road, and Trail Closure
Agency closure covering Hebgen Lake Ranger District · Order 01-11-07-26-03 · USFS · Hebgen Lake Ranger District
South Plateau Road #1700 Opening Delayed
Agency closure covering Hebgen Lake Ranger District · USFS · Hebgen Lake Ranger District
Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Summer Interim Travel Order and Map and Order # 01-11-00-26-02
Agency closure covering Custer Gallatin National Forest · Order 01-11-00-26-02 · USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest
Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Winter Interim Travel Order and Map Order Number: #01-11-00-26-01
Agency closure covering Custer Gallatin National Forest · USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Lower Tepee is an easy out-and-back hike in Montana's Custer Gallatin National Forest, within the Hebgen Lake Ranger District. The trail is about 3.8 miles long, with a one-way elevation gain of 425 feet, and it rises from a low point of 7,854 feet to a high of 8,452 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the route is open year-round. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Old Faithful, Wyoming, show July highs around 76°F with lows near 39°F, and the station sits about 1,100 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures on the ridge run cooler. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows both horses and bikes. Tepee Basin lies about 0.6 miles away, and the Skyline Trail is about 1.1 miles off. For an overnight stay, Cabin Creek Cabin is about 2.6 miles away, and Rainbow Point Campground is about 7 miles away.
- Tepee BasinHiking0.6 mi
- Skyline TrailHiking1.1 mi
Cabin Creek CabinCampingPhoto: Recreation.gov (RIDB) / public domain2.6 mi- Old TepeeHiking2.8 mi
- Grayling CreekCanoeing5.3 mi
- Rainbow Point CampgroundCamping7 mi
- Duck CreekCanoeing7.2 mi
- Spring Creek Camp AreaCamping9 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Gneiss Creek (WK7)Hiking · ~10 min drive
Gneiss Creek TrailHiking · ~11 min drivePhoto: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Bacon Rind Creek TrailHiking · ~11 min drivePhoto: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)
Fawn Pass TrailHiking · ~11 min drivePhoto: hesyifei, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
HORSE BUTTE LOOP (SNOWMO)Hiking · ~16 min drivePhoto: Roebot, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- Bacon Rind Trailhead (WK4)Hiking · ~11 min drive
Kirkwood TrailHiking · ~14 min drivePhoto: Sam Beebe/Ecotrust, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Fawn Pass Spur/Bacon Rind TH TrailHiking · ~12 min drivePhoto: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)- Skyline TrailHiking · ~2 min drive
- Fawn Pass Trailhead (WK5)Hiking · ~11 min drive
Best time to visit Lower Tepee
Best months: July–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
28° / 1°
14 wet
Feb
31° / 2°
12 wet
Mar
39° / 10°
13 wet
Apr
46° / 19°
12 wet
May
55° / 29°
13 wet
Jun
65° / 35°
13 wet
Jul
76° / 39°
10 wet
Aug
75° / 37°
9 wet
Sep
65° / 30°
9 wet
Oct
50° / 22°
10 wet
Nov
35° / 10°
12 wet
Dec
27° / 1°
15 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Old Faithful, WY, 33 mi away at 7,351 ft. The station sits about 1,100 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.