Shafer
- 14.0 mi
- round trip
- 2,026 ft
- climb
- 5,774 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
Is Shafer open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Kootenai National Forest. It doesn't name Shafer, so check the source for the area it covers.
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
Trail Advisory-Alexander Mountain Trail near Timber Harvest Activities
Agency alert covering Libby Ranger District · USFS · Libby Ranger District
Timberlane Campground Closure
Agency alert covering Libby Ranger District · Order 01-14-05-26-03 · USFS · Libby Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Kootenai National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Shafer is a hard hike in the Libby Ranger District of Montana's Kootenai National Forest, about 14 miles long with a one-way elevation gain of 2,026 feet. The trail is an out-and-back that starts at a low point of about 2,960 feet and climbs to a high point of about 5,774 feet. The route is on natural surface, and the Forest Service allows both horses and bikes. The open season runs from May 1 to November 30. Noisy Creek is a hike just 0.7 miles away, and the Bobtail mountain biking trail is about 1.9 miles off. Pipe Creek, a canoeing spot, and Tom Poole Lake are each about 2.5 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Kootenai River Campground17 mi away
- Indian Springs Montana34 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)Timberlane
~10 min drive
0.79-mile loop trail in Montana with 18 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Whoop Up
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Mount Tom
~5 min drive
8.38-mile out-and-back trail to Mount Tom in Montana with 1,814 ft of elevation gain.
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GARDEN RIDGE SNOMOBILE SPUR
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38.8-mile out-and-back snomobile spur in Montana with 4,043 ft gain/loss
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Sheldon Mountain Tie J
~16 min drive
0.64-mile out-and-back trail on Sheldon Mountain with 212 ft gain.
Photo: Tony Webster, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Sheldon Mountain Tie M
~16 min drive
1.05-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 149 ft elevation gain.
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Bobtail
~4 min drive
5.20-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,188 ft elevation gain.
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Upper Pipe
~6 min drive
6.75-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,345 ft of elevation gain.
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Pipe Divide
~14 min drive
9.33-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,465 ft elevation gain.
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Tom Poole Lake
~4 min drive
0.95-mile out-and-back trail to Tom Poole Lake in Montana with 336 ft of elevation gain.
Route details
- Distance
- 14.0 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 2,026 ft
- Summit
- 5,775 ft
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Time
- About 5.5 hours
Questions about this route
How long is the Shafer on Big Creek Baldy Mountain?
About 14.0 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Shafer?
About 2,026 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Shafer?
It is rated hard.
How long does the Shafer take?
About 5.5 hours round trip.
Conditions and forecast on Big Creek Baldy Mountain
Daily highs and lows, wind and the chance of precipitation at the summit and route start for the next 7 days, from the Open-Meteo model.
