North Fork Sun River
- 26.7 mi
- round trip
- 2,178 ft
- climb
- 5,087 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is North Fork Sun River 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 Sun River is a hard, out-and-back hike in Montana's Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest, on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District. It is managed by the Forest Service and runs about 26.7 miles round trip, with an elevation gain of 2,178 feet, from a low point of about 4,729 feet to a high of about 5,087 feet. The trail is natural-surfaced and allows horses. It is not an accessible trail. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. At the Gibson Dam weather station, 1.1 miles away, typical July averages are a high of 79°F and a low of 45°F, and the trail is open from May 1 to November 30. The station sits about 500 feet lower than the high point, so expect cooler temperatures on top. Mortimer Gulch Campground is 0.7 miles away, and the Sun River canoe route is half a mile off. Big George Gulch and the Beaver-Mortimer Connector are both within about a mile and a quarter.
Local outfitters
- Choteau Mountain View RV Campground32 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Sun RiverCanoeingPhoto: Qfl247 (Transferred by Citypeek/Original uploaded by Qfl247), CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)0.5 mi- Mortimer Gulch CgCamping0.7 mi
- Big George GulchHiking1.2 mi
Beaver-Mortimer ConnectorHikingPhoto: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)1.3 mi- Blacktail CreekHiking1.7 mi
- Mortimer GulchHiking2.4 mi
- Home Gulch CgCamping2.7 mi
- Kenck CabinCamping8.4 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Beaver-Mortimer ConnectorHiking · ~2 min drivePhoto: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Red Lake StockHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Big George GulchHiking · ~2 min drive
- Wagner BasinHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
North Fork Beaver-LeavittHiking · ~7 min drivePhoto: Forest Service - Northern Region, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Blacktail CreekHiking · ~3 min drive
- Lange CreekHiking · ~5 min drive
- Mortimer PassHiking · ~6 min drive
- Mortimer GulchHiking · ~4 min drive
- RED LAKEHiking · ~6 min drive
Best time to visit North Fork Sun River
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, 1.1 mi away at 4,590 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
