Meadow Bugle
- 3.7 mi
- round trip
- 759 ft
- climb
- 8,027 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Meadow Bugle open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists 2 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
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.
Meadow Bugle is an easy out-and-back hike in the Sula Ranger District of Montana's Bitterroot National Forest, managed by the Forest Service. The trail is about 3.7 miles long, with a one-way elevation gain of 759 feet, taking you from a low point of about 7,195 feet to a high of about 8,027 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Jackson, Montana, show July highs around 77°F with lows near 42°F, and the station sits roughly 1,500 feet below the trail, so temperatures on the route run cooler. Several other hikes lie close by. Bugle Creek is under a mile away, and Elk Ridge and Meadow Creek Ridge are each within about 2 miles. For an overnight stay, McCart Lookout is about 4.7 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Copper Court RV Park46 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Sep
Best time to visit Meadow Bugle
Best months: June–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° / 8°
6 wet
Feb
31° / 8°
6 wet
Mar
39° / 16°
8 wet
Apr
46° / 23°
9 wet
May
57° / 31°
10 wet
Jun
66° / 37°
9 wet
Jul
77° / 42°
6 wet
Aug
76° / 39°
5 wet
Sep
66° / 32°
4 wet
Oct
51° / 25°
5 wet
Nov
36° / 14°
7 wet
Dec
27° / 7°
7 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Jackson, MT, 36.8 mi away at 6,480 ft. The station sits about 1,500 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
Photo: footloosiety, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Reimel Creek
~13 min drive
9.50-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,448 ft gain.
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BUGLE CREEK
~3 min drive
3.76-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,798 ft gain and 6,719 ft max elevation.
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LODGEPOLE CREEK
~3 min drive
2.16-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 531 ft elevation gain and loss.
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BENDER CREEK
~14 min drive
9.92-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,379 ft elevation gain and loss.
Photo: footloosiety, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Reimal Tolan Divide
~13 min drive
10.78-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,629 ft elevation gain.
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Meadow Creek Ridge
~3 min drive
8.65-mile out-and-back trail on Meadow Creek Ridge in Montana with 1,754 ft gain.
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BUGLE CREEK
~3 min drive
1.2-mile out-and-back trail at Bugle Creek in Montana with 482 ft elevation gain
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BUGLE CREEK
~1 min drive
8.48-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,790 ft elevation gain.
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MEADOW CREEK
~4 min drive
3.18-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,174 ft elevation gain
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MEADOW CREEK
~3 min drive
1.66-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 670 ft elevation gain
