Sears Lake
- 2.0 mi
- round trip
- 973 ft
- climb
- 6,704 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Sep
- best months
Is Sears Lake 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. 2
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.
Sears Lake is an easy out-and-back hike in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, part of the Stevensville Ranger District of the Bitterroot National Forest in western Montana. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is a natural-surface route about 2 miles long, with a one-way climb of roughly 970 feet from a low point of about 5,722 feet to a high of about 6,704 feet. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show July and August highs around 81°F with lows near 40°F and the fewest wet days of the year, about eight each month. That station sits well below the trail, so temperatures on the route run cooler. Several other destinations lie within a few miles. Blodgett Creek and High Lake are hikes about 2.6 miles away, and Blodgett Campground is about 7 miles off. Flathead Buttress, a climbing area, is about 4.8 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Granite Peak RV Resort46 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Sep
Best time to visit Sears Lake
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
31° / 10°
13 wet
Feb
35° / 12°
12 wet
Mar
43° / 20°
13 wet
Apr
50° / 25°
13 wet
May
61° / 32°
13 wet
Jun
70° / 37°
12 wet
Jul
81° / 40°
8 wet
Aug
81° / 38°
8 wet
Sep
70° / 32°
9 wet
Oct
54° / 26°
11 wet
Nov
38° / 18°
13 wet
Dec
29° / 10°
13 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Sula 14 Ne, MT, 41.3 mi away at 5,155 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
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Blodgett Creek
~4 min drive
10.18-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,678 ft gain.
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Fred Burr
~6 min drive
20.20-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,259 ft elevation gain.
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Climber's Path
~9 min drive
0.88-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 788 ft elevation gain
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Frog Peak Trail
~10 min drive
14.3-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 5,429 ft gain and 7,950 ft max elevation.
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High Lake
~4 min drive
4.51-mile out-and-back trail to High Lake in Montana with 1,939 ft gain
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Mill Creek
~9 min drive
22.18-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,779 ft elevation gain.
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Cow Creek
~12 min drive
1.57-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 103 ft gain.
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FROG PEAK
~11 min drive
14.2-mile out-and-back trail in Idaho with 5,338 ft elevation gain and loss.
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Hauf Lake
~5 min drive
3.32-mile out-and-back trail to Hauf Lake in Montana with 1,704 ft gain.
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Sheafman Creek
~10 min drive
12.82-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 785 ft gain.
