Blue Joint
Blue Joint Trail is an 18.6-mile trail in Bitterroot National Forest, Montana and Idaho. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2, moderately developed. The forest has not published allowed uses for it.
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 | 45.6981° N, 114.3979° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 45.5705° N, 114.5251° 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 7 segments.
The trail
| Length | 18.6 miles, of which 3.3 miles evaluated accessible |
| Trail class | 2, moderately developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 5-8 percent, 12-20 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Accessibility | At least one segment meets Forest Service accessibility guidelines |
| Trail numbers | 614, TRD 74080, TRD 74081, TRD 74082, TRD 74084, TRD 74087, TRD 74094 |
| Forest | Bitterroot National Forest (unit 0103) |
| States | Montana, Idaho |
| 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
Trailheads
Main Blue Joint Trailhead No season published | under 0.1 mi |
Reynolds Trailhead No season published | 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 D4 Piquett Creek
19 mi from the trail midpoint · 2,210 acres
- PrescribedRx D2 Fern Creek 1.3C
26 mi from the trail midpoint · 269 acres
- PrescribedScf Nz Pile Burn Rx
40 mi from the trail midpoint · 605 acres
- PrescribedRx D3 Tepee 12 Johnson Wf Landings
40 mi from the trail midpoint
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 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 Blue Joint Trail?
The Forest Service records 18.6 miles under this name in Bitterroot National Forest, the sum of 7 segments. The Forest Service evaluates 3.3 miles of that as accessible.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Blue Joint Trail?
Bitterroot National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the Blue Joint Trail start?
The line begins at 45.6981° N, 114.3979° W and ends at 45.5705° N, 114.5251° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Main Blue Joint 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 Blue Joint 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 Blue Joint Trail?
Slate Creek Campground (2.2 mi), Fales Flat Campground (3.4 mi) and Rombo (4.7 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 3 with site counts and booking links.
How developed is the Blue Joint Trail?
Trail class 2, which the Forest Service describes as moderately 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 Blue Joint Trail?
The typical grade is 5-8 percent on most segments and 12-20 percent on others. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Blue Joint Trail accessible?
The Forest Service has evaluated 3.3 miles of this trail as meeting its accessibility guidelines. The surface is native material.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Blue Joint Trail?
Bitterroot National Forest, Forest Service unit 0103. The trail is in Montana and Idaho.
Is there a fire near the Blue Joint Trail?
The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx D4 Piquett Creek at 19 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 7 segments named Blue Joint 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.