Purcell Summit
- 1.0 mi
- round trip
- 212 ft
- climb
- 6,469 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Is Purcell Summit open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Three Rivers Ranger District. It doesn't name Purcell Summit, so check the source for the area it covers (2 listed).
Ross Creek Cedars Road Closure & Storm Damage Update
Agency closure covering Three Rivers Ranger District · Order 01-14-04-26-08 · USFS · Three Rivers Ranger District
Kootenai Flood Event & Inaccessible Areas
Agency closure covering Kootenai National Forest · USFS · Kootenai National Forest
Updated Skillet Fire Area, Road, Trail Closure
Agency alert covering Kootenai National Forest · Order 01-10- · USFS · Kootenai National Forest
Spar Lake Road #384 Road Closed to Motorized Vehicles
Agency alert covering Three Rivers Ranger District · Order 01-14-04-26-04 · USFS · Three Rivers Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Three Rivers Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Purcell Summit is a short, easy hike in the Three Rivers Ranger District of Montana's Kootenai National Forest, about a mile from the trailhead. The route is an out-and-back that gains about 212 feet in elevation, from a low point of 6,259 feet to a high of 6,469 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is natural-surfaced and open to bikes. The hike is best done between June 15 and October 31, the open season for the trail. That makes it a comfortable fit for summer and early fall, when the weather is typically most settled. West Fork Basin Creek lies about 1.6 miles away, and Fish Lakes is about 2.8 miles off. Boulder Mountain is about 3.6 miles away, and Caribou Campground, about 5.1 miles away, offers a place to stay.
Local outfitters
- Indian Springs Montana21 mi away
- Kootenai River Campground32 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Lower Boulder
~20 min drive
4.64-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,109 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Boulder Mountain
~6 min drive
6.18-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,660 ft gain.
HIKE
Lost Horse Tie
~11 min drive
1.06-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 483 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Pipe Divide
~23 min drive
9.33-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,465 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Fish Lakes
~5 min drive
3.26-mile out-and-back trail with 167 ft gain in Montana.
HIKE
Caribou Mountain
~9 min drive
Caribou Mountain is a 9.36-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,681 feet of elevation gain.
HIKE
Vinal Lake Trail
~11 min drive
0.86-mile out-and-back trail to Vinal Lake in Montana with 198 ft of elevation gain.
HIKE
N FORK BIG CREEK SNOWMOBL SPUR
~9 min drive
18.1-mile out-and-back snowmobile spur with 2,939 ft elevation gain
HIKE
Hoskins Lake
~10 min drive
3.71-mile out-and-back trail to Hoskins Lake in Montana.
HIKE
Bunker Creek Tie
~9 min drive
4.91-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 458 ft gain.