Sleeping Child Divide
- 15.3 mi
- round trip
- 224 ft
- climb
- 6,965 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Jun–Aug
- best months
Is Sleeping Child Divide 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. 9 to 12
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.
Sleeping Child Divide is a hard hike in the Darby Ranger District of Montana's Bitterroot National Forest. It is a natural-surface out-and-back route that stretches about 15.3 miles, rising 224 feet from a low point of 6,291 feet to a high of 6,965 feet. The Forest Service manages the land. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the nearby Wisdom weather station, which sits about 900 feet lower, show July highs near 78°F and lows around 38°F, while winter highs stay in the mid-20s. Several other hikes start close by. Corral is just 0.1 mile away and Rye Creek is 0.7 mile off. Divide Creek is about 2.7 miles away, and the Bald Top-Sleeping Child route is roughly 3.8 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Copper Court RV Park47 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · Jun–Aug
Best time to visit Sleeping Child Divide
Best months: June–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
26° / 3°
8 wet
Feb
29° / 3°
8 wet
Mar
39° / 12°
8 wet
Apr
49° / 21°
9 wet
May
59° / 28°
12 wet
Jun
67° / 35°
11 wet
Jul
78° / 38°
8 wet
Aug
77° / 34°
7 wet
Sep
68° / 28°
7 wet
Oct
53° / 21°
8 wet
Nov
36° / 10°
9 wet
Dec
25° / 3°
9 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Wisdom, MT, 35.3 mi away at 6,060 ft. The station sits about 900 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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RYE CREEK
~1 min drive
2.42-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,256 ft elevation gain
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South Fork Sleeping Child
~8 min drive
12.96-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,176 ft of elevation gain.
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Kent Lake
~8 min drive
1.99-mile out-and-back trail to Kent Lake in Montana.
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SNOW TRAIL 75
~14 min drive
30.58-mile point-to-point trail in Montana with 2,899 ft gain and 7,489 ft max elevation.
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Divide Creek
~5 min drive
5.90-mile out-and-back trail at Divide Creek in Montana with 870 ft of elevation gain.
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Bald Top
~13 min drive
15.10-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,387 ft elevation gain.
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Lakes Overlook
~12 min drive
0.10-mile loop trail to lakes overlook in Montana.
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WEASEL CREEK
~15 min drive
4.92-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 5,021 ft elevation gain and loss.
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Bald Top-Sleeping Child
~6 min drive
4.91-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,620 ft elevation gain.
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Stonehouse Trail
~14 min drive
6.22-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,770 ft elevation gain and loss.
