Sun Butte
- 1.4 mi
- round trip
- 756 ft
- climb
- 5,600 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Sun Butte open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Rocky Mountain Ranger District.
Camp Creek Fire Trail Closure
Agency alert covering Rocky Mountain Ranger District · Order 01-10- · USFS · Rocky Mountain Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Rocky Mountain Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Sun Butte is a short out-and-back hike of about 1.4 miles in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, part of the Rocky Mountain Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana. The trail climbs from a low of about 4,817 feet to a high of about 5,600 feet, and the Forest Service lists it as an easy route. It is a natural-surface trail open year-round, and horses are allowed, though it is not accessible. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Gibson Dam, which sits about 1,000 feet below the summit, show July highs near 79°F with lows around 45°F. Winter there is cold, with January highs averaging about 36°F. The closest trail is Sun Butte Cutacross, about 0.2 miles away, and Moose-Furman and Bear Creek are both within a mile. For an overnight base, Mortimer Gulch Campground is about 4.9 miles away.
Local outfitters
- Choteau Mountain View RV Campground35 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Sun Butte
Best months: May–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
36° / 12°
5 wet
Feb
36° / 12°
6 wet
Mar
42° / 18°
7 wet
Apr
50° / 25°
7 wet
May
59° / 33°
10 wet
Jun
67° / 39°
10 wet
Jul
79° / 45°
7 wet
Aug
78° / 43°
6 wet
Sep
67° / 36°
6 wet
Oct
54° / 29°
6 wet
Nov
42° / 20°
5 wet
Dec
35° / 13°
5 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Gibson Dam, MT, 5.8 mi away at 4,590 ft. The station sits about 1,000 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: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Beaver-Mortimer Connector
~10 min drive
2.98-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 274 ft gain.
Photo: Forest Service - Northern Region, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)North Fork Beaver-Leavitt
~13 min drive
5.38-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,055 ft gain.
HIKE
Moose-Furman
~1 min drive
17.73-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 643 ft gain.
Photo: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Wagner Basin
~11 min drive
0.88-mile out-and-back trail to Wagner Basin in Montana with 244 ft of elevation gain.
Photo: Sam Beebe, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)Red Lake Stock
~13 min drive
2.84-mile out-and-back trail to Red Lake in Montana with 1,012 ft gain
HIKE
Bear Creek
~1 min drive
13.70-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 2,000 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Sun Butte Cutacross
Next door
2.48-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 218 ft gain.
HIKE
Arsenic Creek
~2 min drive
9.16-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,367 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
Goat Creek
~2 min drive
9.55-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 1,522 ft elevation gain.
HIKE
North Fork Sun Cutacross
~1 min drive
2.31-mile out-and-back trail in Montana with 38 ft of elevation gain.
Route details
- Distance
- 1.4 mi round trip
- Climbing
- About 756 ft
- Summit
- 5,661 ft
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- About 1 hour
Season
Season: Year-round.
Questions about this route
How long is the Sun Butte on Sun Butte?
About 1.4 mi round trip.
How much elevation gain is on the Sun Butte?
About 756 ft of climbing round trip.
How hard is the Sun Butte?
It is rated easy.
How long does the Sun Butte take?
About 1 hour round trip.
When is the best time for the Sun Butte?
Year-round.
Conditions and forecast on Sun Butte
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.
