North Fork Ford Creek
Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)- 5.2 mi
- round trip
- 697 ft
- climb
- 5,903 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is North Fork Ford Creek open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Rocky Mountain Ranger District.
Camp Creek Fire Trail Closure
Agency alert covering Rocky Mountain Ranger District · Order 01-10- · USFS · Rocky Mountain Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Rocky Mountain Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
North Fork Ford Creek is a 5.2-mile out-and-back hike in the Rocky Mountain Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana. The route gains about 700 feet of elevation, from a low point of 5,069 feet to a high of 5,903 feet, and is rated moderate. The Forest Service manages the land. The trail is a natural-surface route, and horses and bikes are both allowed. It is not an accessible trail. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the Gibson Dam weather station, about 13 miles away, show July highs near 79°F with lows around 45°F, while temperatures on this hike run cooler because the station sits well below the trail's high point. Double Falls Campground is less than a mile away, and the North Fork Ford Spur is about 0.8 miles off. Crown Mountain and Ford Basin Overlook are both within about 2 miles.
Local outfitters
- Choteau Mountain View RV Campground37 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit North Fork Ford Creek
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
36° / 12°
5 wet
Feb
36° / 12°
6 wet
Mar
42° / 18°
7 wet
Apr
50° / 25°
7 wet
May
59° / 33°
10 wet
Jun
67° / 39°
10 wet
Jul
79° / 45°
7 wet
Aug
78° / 43°
6 wet
Sep
67° / 36°
6 wet
Oct
54° / 29°
6 wet
Nov
42° / 20°
5 wet
Dec
35° / 13°
5 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gibson Dam, MT, 13 mi away at 4,590 ft. The station sits about 1,300 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: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)FAIRVIEW CREEK
~14 min drive
5.38-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 4,313 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)North Fork Beaver-Leavitt
~16 min drive
5.38-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,055 ft gain.
HIKE
Wood Lake Hiker
~7 min drive
1.28-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 64 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
Beaver Creek
~6 min drive
9.54-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,012 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
North Fork Ford Spur
~1 min drive
2.88-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,025 ft gain.
HIKE
Pack Trail
~10 min drive
3.72-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 938 ft gain/loss and a max elevation of 6,540 ft.
HIKE
Smith Creek
~8 min drive
8.90-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,185 ft gain.
HIKE
CROWN MOUNTAIN
~3 min drive
5.3-mile out-and-back trail to Crown Mountain in Montana with 2,319 ft gain
HIKE
LANGE CREEK
~12 min drive
2.76-mile out-and-back trail with 738 ft elevation gain and loss in Montana.
HIKE
Weasel Creek
~9 min drive
6.81-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,263 ft elevation gain.