Montana · Trail 311

Gold Creek

Gold Creek Trail is a 14.5-mile trail in Bitterroot National Forest, Montana. 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 end46.3971° N, 113.9022° W · Directions ↗
Other end46.3303° N, 113.9089° 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

Length14.5 miles
Trail class2, moderately developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers311, 43
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 Gold Creek Trail20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 0.66 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.64 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.78 inches of precipitationApril: 0.99 inches of precipitationMay: 1.55 inches of precipitationJune: 1.69 inches of precipitationJuly: 0.77 inches of precipitationAugust: 0.84 inches of precipitationSeptember: 0.93 inches of precipitationOctober: 0.80 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.92 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.87 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 27.4°F averageFebruary: 30.9°F averageMarch: 37.8°F averageApril: 44.6°F averageMay: 52.9°F averageJune: 59.8°F averageJuly: 67.8°F averageAugust: 66.0°F averageSeptember: 57.1°F averageOctober: 44.8°F averageNovember: 33.3°F averageDecember: 26.2°F average0 in0.5 in1 in1.5 in2 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Western Ag Rsch Ctr, 7 miles from the trail midpoint at 3,608 feet, station USC00248783 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 11 inches a year. The station sits about 2,100 feet lower than the trail midpoint, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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.

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 D1 3-Mile Bravo

    16 mi from the trail midpoint · 400 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx Bowles And Daly

    16 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Rx D2 Fern Creek 1.3C

    29 mi from the trail midpoint · 269 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D3 Tepee 12 Johnson Wf Landings

    31 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 Gold Creek Trail?

The Forest Service records 14.5 miles under this name in Bitterroot National Forest, the sum of 2 segments.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Gold Creek 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 Gold Creek Trail start?

The line begins at 46.3971° N, 113.9022° W and ends at 46.3303° N, 113.9089° W. 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 Gold Creek 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 Gold Creek Trail?

Gold Creek Campground (under 0.1 mi) is within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists it with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Gold Creek 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 Gold Creek Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Gold Creek 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 Gold 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 16 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 2 segments named Gold 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.