American River
American River Trail is a 25.5-mile trail in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. The forest has not published allowed uses for it.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 45.8268° N, 115.4373° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 46.0014° N, 115.4294° W · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 2 segments.
The trail
| Length | 25.5 miles |
| Type | snow trail, land trail |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 836, SNO-443 |
| Forest | Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (unit 0117) |
| States | Idaho |
| Detail published | centerline only |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Weather by month
Trailheads
Limber Luke Campground and Trailhead Open June Garbage services not available. Pack It In, Pack It Out. | under 0.1 mi |
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.
Trails nearby
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx Doc Denny - Srrd
27 mi from the trail midpoint · 20 acres
- PrescribedRx Crooked Christie Srrd
49 mi from the trail midpoint · 126 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest publishes this trail as a centerline only, with no class, surface or allowed uses. What is here is the name, the length and the line. The forest office has the rest.
Checked every Sunday. Sections appear on the first run after the forest publishes more.
Explore
Park units nearby
Historic places nearby
Guidebooks for Idaho
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the American River Trail?
The Forest Service records 25.5 miles under this name in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, the sum of 2 segments.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the American River Trail?
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the American River Trail start?
The line begins at 45.8268° N, 115.4373° W and ends at 46.0014° N, 115.4294° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Limber Luke Campground and Trailhead, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the American River Trail in a wilderness area?
No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Where can I camp near the American River Trail?
Limber Luke Campground and Trailhead (under 0.1 mi), O'Hara Saddle Campground (3 mi) and French Gulch Campground (4.1 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 3 with site counts and booking links.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Who manages the American River Trail?
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Forest Service unit 0117. The trail is in Idaho.
Is there a fire near the American River Trail?
The interagency feed shows 2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx Doc Denny - Srrd at 27 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 2 segments named American River in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0117. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.