Copper Butte
Copper Butte Trail is a 22.4 miles trail in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho. The forest has not published allowed uses for it. It enters Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness.
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 | 45.9894, -115.2436 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 45.9814, -114.9839 · 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
| Length | 22.4 miles |
| Type | land trail |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 602 |
| 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.
Wilderness
- Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness WildernessFS · about 77% 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
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
- WildfireWolf Creek
6 mi from the trail midpoint · 2,643 acres · 50% contained
- WildfireCascade
7 mi from the trail midpoint · 7,475 acres · 70% contained
- WildfireThree Links
11 mi from the trail midpoint · 927 acres · 21% contained
- WildfireGrotto
18 mi from the trail midpoint · 3,856 acres · 20% contained
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 nightly. Sections appear as soon as the forest publishes more.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Copper Butte Trail?
22.4 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Copper Butte 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 Copper Butte Trail start?
The line begins at 45.9894, -115.2436 and ends at 45.9814, -114.9839. 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 Copper Butte Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Where can I camp near the Copper Butte Trail?
Slims Camp (3.8 mi) and Selway Falls Campground (4.9 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Who manages the Copper Butte Trail?
Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Forest Service unit 0117. The trail is in Idaho.
Is there a fire near the Copper Butte Trail?
4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Wolf Creek at 6 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named COPPER BUTTE 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 September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.