Custer Gallatin National Forest · Montana · Trail 4804

Paget Creek

Paget Creek Trail is a 9 miles trail in Custer Gallatin National Forest, Montana. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2, moderately developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle, atv, 4wd over 50 inches, e-bikes, snowmobile, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowcoach or snowcat, motorized watercraft and non-motorized watercraft.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Custer Gallatin 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 end45.3162, -106.2674 · Directions ↗
Other end45.3779, -106.1644 · 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

Length9 miles
Trail class2, moderately developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade8-10 percent
Motor vehiclesOpen to at least one motorized use
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers4804
ForestCuster Gallatin National Forest (unit 0111)
StatesMontana
Detail publishedmanagement 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

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed year-round
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round
MotorcycleAllowed year-round
ATVAllowed year-round
4WD over 50 inchesAllowed year-round
E-bikesAllowed year-round
SnowmobileAllowed year-round
SnowshoeingAllowed year-round
Cross-country skiingAllowed year-round
Snowcoach or snowcatAllowed year-round
Motorized watercraftAllowed year-round
Non-motorized watercraftAllowed 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.

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

  • Wildfire
    Poker

    7 mi from the trail midpoint · 30 acres

  • Wildfire
    Birney Road

    12 mi from the trail midpoint · 48 acres

  • Wildfire
    Swain

    31 mi from the trail midpoint · 40 acres

  • Wildfire
    Tongue

    32 mi from the trail midpoint · 286 acres

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 Paget Creek Trail?

9 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Custer Gallatin National Forest.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Paget Creek Trail?

hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle, atv, 4wd over 50 inches, e-bikes, snowmobile, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, snowcoach or snowcat, motorized watercraft and non-motorized watercraft. The trail is open to at least one motorized use.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Paget Creek Trail start?

The line begins at 45.3162, -106.2674 and ends at 45.3779, -106.1644. 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 Paget 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 Paget Creek Trail?

Cow Creek Campground And Picnic Area (0.8 mi) and Blacks Pond Campground (2.4 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Paget 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 Paget Creek Trail?

The typical grade is 8-10 percent.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Paget Creek Trail?

Custer Gallatin National Forest, Forest Service unit 0111. The trail is in Montana.

Source: Custer Gallatin National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Paget Creek Trail?

4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-17, the nearest Poker at 7 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named PAGET CREEK in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0111. 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.