Cold Meadows
Cold Meadows Trail is a 36.7 miles trail in Payette National Forest, Idaho. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking and horse and pack stock. It enters Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Payette 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 | 45.3707, -115.2029 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 45.1636, -115.1283 · 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 | 36.7 miles |
| Trail class | 3, developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 002 |
| Forest | Payette National Forest (unit 0412) |
| States | Idaho |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
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.
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
| Horse and pack stock | Allowed year-round |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Wilderness
- Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness WildernessFS · the whole 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
The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.
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. The recreation page link goes to the Forest Service site, which may redirect to the forest's recreation index.
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
- WildfireScimitar
32 mi from the trail midpoint · 463 acres · 0% contained
- WildfireCooper
42 mi from the trail midpoint · 354 acres · 0% contained
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Cold Meadows Trail?
36.7 miles, the sum of the 2 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Payette National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Cold Meadows Trail?
hiking and horse and pack stock. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Cold Meadows Trail start?
The line begins at 45.3707, -115.2029 and ends at 45.1636, -115.1283. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Cold Meadows Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness Wilderness
Where can I camp near the Cold Meadows Trail?
Chamberlain Basin Camping Area (0.1 mi) is within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Cold Meadows 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 Cold Meadows Trail?
The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Cold Meadows Trail?
Payette National Forest, Forest Service unit 0412. The trail is in Idaho.
Is there a fire near the Cold Meadows Trail?
2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Scimitar at 32 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 2 segments named COLD MEADOWS in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0412. 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 September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.