Snake Loop

Snake Loop is a hard hike in Montana's Great Bear Wilderness, part of the Hungry Horse Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest. The trail is an out-and-back of about 8.3 miles, with a one-way elevation gain of 1,383 feet, taking you from a low point of about 4,671 feet to a high of about 6,159 feet. The Forest Service manages the land, and the trail is on natural surface, with horses allowed but bikes not. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at E Glacier, which sits roughly 1,350 feet lower, show July and August highs around 74°F with lows in the mid-40s. That station's figures are only a guide, as temperatures on the trail run cooler. The Giefer Creek trailhead is the parking for this route, and the Zips Place Cabin is about 0.2 miles away. Grizzly Creek and Bear Creek are both within about 2 miles.