Pine Creek Campground
Campground
Campground · 3.5 mi from the trail
Montana · Hiking · Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness · Near Emigrant
Silver Lake
- 3.8 mi
- round trip
- 1,087 ft
- climb
- 9,085 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jul–Aug
- best months
Is Silver Lake open right now?
Closure in the area
There's a closure order in Yellowstone Ranger District. It doesn't name Silver Lake, so check the source for the area it covers (13 listed).
East Fork of the Mill Creek Trail Bridge Stock Closure
Agency closure covering Yellowstone Ranger District · Order 01-11-04-26-03 · USFS · Yellowstone Ranger District
NFSR #1700 South Plateau Road Closure
Agency closure covering Custer Gallatin National Forest · USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest
Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Summer Interim Travel Order and Map and Order # 01-11-00-26-02
Agency closure covering Custer Gallatin National Forest · Order 01-11-00-26-02 · USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest
Hyalite Porcupine Buffalo Horn Winter Interim Travel Order and Map Order Number: #01-11-00-26-01
Agency closure covering Custer Gallatin National Forest · USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest
Glacier Lake Road #2421 Closure Order Number: # 01-11-82-26- 01
Agency closure covering Custer Gallatin National Forest · Order 01-11-82-26- · USFS · Custer Gallatin National Forest
As of · Source: USFS · Yellowstone Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Silver Lake is a moderate out-and-back hike in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, part of the Yellowstone Ranger District of Custer Gallatin National Forest in Montana. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail lies within designated wilderness. The route is about 3.8 miles long, with a one-way climb of roughly 1,087 feet from a low point of about 7,961 feet to a high of about 9,085 feet. Horses are allowed, and the trail surface is natural. Bikes are not. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Cooke City show July highs around 74°F with lows near 39°F, and the station sits about 1,600 feet lower than the trail's high point, so temperatures on the summit run cooler. Hi Ho Silver is about a mile away, and Trail Creek is about 2.4 miles off. Fourmile Cabin offers camping about 5 miles away, and the Mile 18 climbing area is about 5.2 miles away.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after If it rains The Flying Squirrel Gallery
Gallery
Gallery · 25 mi from Emigrant
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors
More in EmigrantLocal outfitters
- Yellowstone Safari Company41 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jul–Aug
Best time to visit Silver Lake
Best months: July–August. 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
24° / 6°
17 wet
Feb
29° / 7°
13 wet
Mar
37° / 14°
13 wet
Apr
43° / 21°
13 wet
May
54° / 28°
14 wet
Jun
64° / 34°
14 wet
Jul
74° / 39°
11 wet
Aug
71° / 38°
11 wet
Sep
62° / 31°
10 wet
Oct
47° / 24°
11 wet
Nov
31° / 13°
14 wet
Dec
22° / 6°
17 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Cooke City 2 W, MT, 28.7 mi away at 7,483 ft. The station sits about 1,600 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
Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Fourmile
~7 min drive
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Photo: Matt Lavin, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)Passage Falls
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Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, Public Domain Mark (via Flickr)Meatrack
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Trail Creek
~4 min drive
3.73-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 254 ft of elevation gain.
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U.S.G.S.
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Independence
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West Fork West Boulder
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3.97-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 868 ft elevation gain.
