North Group Site
Campground
Campground · 10 mi from the trail
Utah · Hiking · Near Monticello
Hop Creek
- 9.8 mi
- round trip
- 2,148 ft
- climb
- 8,395 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- May–Oct
- best months
Caution at last check
Agency alerts are in effect for this area; weather is good · USFS, OpenWeather · checked 19 h ago
Is Hop Creek open right now?
Alert in the area
The Forest Service lists an alert for Monticello Ranger District.
Hazardous Road Conditions – Moab Monticello Ranger Districts 11.4.2026
Agency alert covering Monticello Ranger District · USFS · Monticello Ranger District
As of · Source: USFS · Monticello Ranger District. Agencies don't list every closure — check before you go.
Hop Creek is a hard, out-and-back hike in the Monticello Ranger District of Utah's Manti-La Sal National Forest. It covers about 10 miles and climbs roughly 2,150 feet, from a low of about 6,340 feet to a high of about 8,395 feet. The trail is natural-surfaced, and it is open year-round. It is a horse route, and bikes are not allowed. Summer is the most comfortable time to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station at Monticello, about 15 miles away, show July highs around 84°F with lows near 55°F, though that station sits well below the trail's summit, so temperatures up high run cooler. Vega Creek and Reservoir Canyon are both hikes within about 1.6 miles. Shay Mesa and Stevens Canyon Trail lie about 3 miles away.
Around this trail
Add any of these when you start a tripSleep close Eat after 
If it rainsDaBler, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Places © OpenStreetMap contributors · Photos: DaBler, CC BY-SA 3.0 (commons)
More in MonticelloLocal outfitters
- Red Desert RV Park40 mi away
- Spanish Trail RV Park43 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- VEGA CREEKHiking1.5 mi
- RESERVOIR CANYONHiking1.6 mi
- Shay MesaHiking3 mi
- Stevens Canyon TrailHiking3 mi
- Eastwood CragRock climbing3.7 mi
- Vitamin D WallRock climbing5 mi
Pistol WhippedRock climbingPhoto: Kent G. Budge, CC0 (via Wikimedia Commons)6.7 mi- Monticello Lake Fishing SiteLake fishing9.1 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
Shay Ridge TrailHiking · ~8 min drivePhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- INDIAN CRK RIM LOOP EXTHiking · ~8 min drivePhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Shay MesaHiking · ~5 min drive
- Red Ledges TrailHiking · ~10 min drive
- Shay Mountain AditHiking · ~12 min drive
- West Shay Mine TrailHiking · ~6 min drive
- 5463 to 5020 TrailHiking · ~10 min drivePhoto: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
- Stevens Canyon TrailHiking · ~5 min drive
- Robertson Pasture TrailHiking · ~11 min drive
- Shay Mountain TrailHiking · ~6 min drive
Best time to visit Hop Creek
Best months: May–October. 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
37° / 17°
Feb
41° / 20°
Mar
50° / 26°
Apr
58° / 31°
May
67° / 39°
Jun
79° / 48°
Jul
84° / 55°
Aug
81° / 54°
Sep
74° / 46°
Oct
62° / 36°
Nov
48° / 26°
Dec
38° / 17°
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Monticello #2, UT, 15.7 mi away at 7,086 ft. The station sits about 1,300 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.
