Montana · Trail 502

Como Lake

Como Lake Trail is a 3-mile trail in Bitterroot National Forest, Montana. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3 to 5, developed to fully 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 end46.0661° N, 114.2480° W · Directions ↗
Other end46.0482° N, 114.2973° 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

Length3 miles, of which 0.4 miles evaluated accessible
Trail class3, developed; 5, fully developed
Typeland trail
Surfaceasphalt, native material
Typical grade12-20 percent, 0-5 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches, 36-48 inches
AccessibilityAt least one segment meets Forest Service accessibility guidelines
Trail numbers502
ForestBitterroot National Forest (unit 0103)
StatesMontana
Detail publishedbasic 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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Como Lake Trail20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.08 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.87 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.85 inches of precipitationApril: 1.04 inches of precipitationMay: 1.60 inches of precipitationJune: 2.09 inches of precipitationJuly: 1.14 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.90 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.23 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.50 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.55 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.26 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 26.5°F averageFebruary: 29.5°F averageMarch: 37.1°F averageApril: 42.5°F averageMay: 51.5°F averageJune: 58.0°F averageJuly: 65.7°F averageAugust: 64.1°F averageSeptember: 56.4°F averageOctober: 44.8°F averageNovember: 33.2°F averageDecember: 25.7°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 in2.5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Darby, 5 miles from the trail midpoint at 3,880 feet, station USC00242221 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 15 inches a year.

Trailheads

Lake Como National Recreation Trailhead
Open May
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

  • Prescribed
    Rx D2 Fern Creek 1.3C

    6 mi from the trail midpoint · 269 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D4 Piquett Creek

    15 mi from the trail midpoint · 2,210 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D3 Tepee 12 Johnson Wf Landings

    27 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Rx Bowles And Daly

    33 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

Guidebooks for Montana

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • 100 Classic Hikes: Montana
    Douglas Lorain, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Day Hiking Glacier National Park and Western Montana
    Aaron Theisen, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking waterfalls in Montana
    John Kratz, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Montana: Bozeman
    Bill Schneider, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Glacier and Waterton Lakes National Parks
    Erik Molvar, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Como Lake Trail?

The Forest Service records 3 miles under this name in Bitterroot National Forest, the sum of 2 segments. The Forest Service evaluates 0.4 miles of that as accessible.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Como Lake Trail?

Bitterroot National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.

Source: Bitterroot National Forest official page

Where does the Como Lake Trail start?

The line begins at 46.0661° N, 114.2480° W and ends at 46.0482° N, 114.2973° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Lake Como National Recreation 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 Como Lake 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 Como Lake Trail?

Three Frogs Campground (under 0.1 mi), Lake Como Campground (0.6 mi) and Rock Creek Horse Camp (0.8 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 4 with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Como Lake Trail?

Trail class 3 to 5, which the Forest Service describes as developed to fully 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 Como Lake Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent on most segments and 0-5 percent on others. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Como Lake Trail accessible?

The Forest Service has evaluated 0.4 miles of this trail as meeting its accessibility guidelines. The surface is asphalt and native material.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Como Lake Trail?

Bitterroot National Forest, Forest Service unit 0103. The trail is in Montana.

Source: Bitterroot National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Como Lake Trail?

The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx D2 Fern Creek 1.3C at 6 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 2 segments named Como Lake 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.