Bear Creek
Bear Creek Trail is a 12-mile trail in Bitterroot National Forest, Montana. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Bitterroot 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 | 46.3798° N, 114.2529° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 46.4351° N, 114.3779° 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 3 segments.
The trail
| Length | 12 miles, of which 1.2 miles evaluated accessible |
| Trail class | 3, developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 12-20 percent, 5-8 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Accessibility | At least one segment meets Forest Service accessibility guidelines |
| Trail numbers | 5, TRD 73693 |
| Forest | Bitterroot National Forest (unit 0103) |
| States | Montana |
| Detail published | basic characteristics |
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
Wilderness
- Selway-Bitterroot WildernessFS · about 74% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
Bear Creek Trailhead No season published | 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 D1 3-Mile Bravo
25 mi from the trail midpoint · 400 acres
- PrescribedRx D3 Granite Graves 220
25 mi from the trail midpoint · 10 acres
- PrescribedRx D3 Granite Graves 203
25 mi from the trail midpoint · 31 acres
- PrescribedRx D2 Fern Creek 1.3C
30 mi from the trail midpoint · 269 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Historic places nearby
Guidebooks for Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and Montana
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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 Bear Creek Trail?
The Forest Service records 12 miles under this name in Bitterroot National Forest, the sum of 3 segments. The Forest Service evaluates 1.2 miles of that as accessible.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Bear Creek Trail?
Bitterroot National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the Bear Creek Trail start?
The line begins at 46.3798° N, 114.2529° W and ends at 46.4351° N, 114.3779° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Bear Creek 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 Bear Creek Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness
Where can I camp near the Bear Creek Trail?
Crazy Creek Campground (0.8 mi), Warm Springs Campground (1.8 mi) and Spring Gulch (3.1 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 3 with site counts and booking links.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Bear Creek Trail?
Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Bear Creek Trail?
The typical grade is 12-20 percent on most segments and 5-8 percent on others. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Bear Creek Trail accessible?
The Forest Service has evaluated 1.2 miles of this trail as meeting its accessibility guidelines. The surface is native material.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Bear Creek Trail?
Bitterroot National Forest, Forest Service unit 0103. The trail is in Montana.
Is there a fire near the Bear Creek Trail?
The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx D1 3-Mile Bravo at 25 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 3 segments named Bear Creek in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0103. 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.