Bear Canyon Campground
Campground
Campground · 2.7 mi from the trail
Montana · Hiking · Near Emigrant
Rocky Canyon
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)- 2.5 mi
- round trip
- 338 ft
- climb
- 5,482 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jul–Sep
- best months
Rocky Canyon is a short, easy hike in Montana, about 2.5 miles long and rising about 338 feet from a low point of 5,180 feet to a high of 5,482 feet. It is an out-and-back route on natural-surface trail, and it sits right next to the town of Chestnut, about a tenth of a mile away, on land managed by the Forest Service. The trail is open year-round, and the parking area is named Chestnut. Bikes and horses are both allowed, so the route works for riders and pack animals as well as hikers. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Bozeman show July highs around 82°F with lows near 52°F, while winter brings highs in the low 30s and regular snow days from November through March. Frog Rock and East Crags Trail are both within a mile, and the Main Area climbing area is about 0.8 miles away. For an overnight stay, Trail Creek Cabin is about 6 miles off.
Around this trail
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More in EmigrantLocal outfitters
- Yellowstone Safari Company7 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jul–Sep
Best time to visit Rocky Canyon
Best months: July–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
34° / 15°
11 wet · 9 snow
Feb
37° / 17°
10 wet · 8 snow
Mar
46° / 24°
12 wet · 9 snow
Apr
54° / 30°
13 wet · 6 snow
May
63° / 39°
15 wet · 2 snow
Jun
72° / 46°
15 wet
Jul
82° / 52°
11 wet
Aug
81° / 50°
10 wet
Sep
71° / 42°
9 wet · 1 snow
Oct
57° / 32°
10 wet · 3 snow
Nov
42° / 22°
10 wet · 7 snow
Dec
33° / 14°
11 wet · 9 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Bozeman Montana State Univ, MT, 7.6 mi away at 4,913 ft. The station sits about 600 ft lower than this place, so expect it a little cooler here. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Keep exploring — more trails worth the drive
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Frog Rock
Next door
1.84-mile out-and-back trail with 63 ft gain in Montana.
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Chestnut Mountain
~2 min drive
14.50-mile out-and-back trail at Chestnut Mountain in Montana
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Moonshine
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4.54-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,089 ft gain.
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)New World Gulch
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11.04-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,025 ft gain.
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)East Crags Trail
~1 min drive
0.94-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 554 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Bridger Foothills
~11 min drive
12.5-mile out-and-back trail in Montana's Bridger Foothills with 2,924 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: Carly Lesser & Art Drauglis from Washington, DC, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)Sypes Canyon
~14 min drive
6.39-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,501 ft gain.
Photo: Don Henise, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Drinking Horse Mountain
~10 min drive
1.76-mile loop to Drinking Horse Mountain summit in Montana with 1,111 ft gain.
Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Leverich Canyon
~15 min drive
4.98-mile loop trail in Leverich Canyon, Montana with 1,098 ft elevation gain.
Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Middle Cottonwood Trail
~16 min drive
2.12-mile out-and-back hike in Montana with 552 ft gain and 5,999 ft max elevation.
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