Water Line
- 4.1 mi
- round trip
- 1,615 ft
- climb
- 4,651 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Sep
- best months
Is Water Line open right now?
No closures listed
The Forest Service lists no closures for Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest.
As of · Source: USFS · Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Water Line is a moderate out-and-back hike of about 4 miles on natural surface in the Helena Ranger District of the Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest in Montana. The trail rises from a low point of about 4,311 feet to a high of about 4,651 feet, with the steepest stretch at around 1.9 miles in, where the grade reaches about 16 percent. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from the Tizer Gardens weather station, about 13 miles away, show July and August highs near 81 to 82°F with lows in the low 40s. Winter is cold, with January highs around 35°F and lows near 10°F. The trail is open year-round. Bikes are allowed, so the Waterline Extension mountain biking route, about 0.2 miles away, makes an easy add-on. The Barking Dog hike starts just 0.1 miles off. Climbers can head to Mount Helena, about 2.6 miles away, and Tenmile Creek offers canoeing about 3.9 miles out.
Local outfitters
- MTBCity4 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
Best time to go · May–Sep
Best time to visit Water Line
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
35° / 10°
Feb
36° / 11°
Mar
46° / 18°
Apr
54° / 25°
May
62° / 33°
Jun
71° / 39°
Jul
81° / 44°
Aug
82° / 43°
Sep
71° / 35°
Oct
56° / 26°
Nov
43° / 19°
Dec
33° / 10°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Tizer Gardens, MT, 12.7 mi away at 4,672 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
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