Palisade
Palisade Trail is a 6.8-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 end | 46.2849° N, 113.7841° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 46.3126° N, 113.8788° 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
| Length | 6.8 miles |
| Trail class | 2, moderately developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 12-20 percent |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| National designation | National Recreation Trail or other national designation |
| Trail numbers | 44 |
| Forest | Bitterroot National Forest (unit 0103) |
| States | Montana |
| Detail published | basic 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
Trailheads
Palisade Mountain NRT Trailhead No season published | 0.2 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
- PrescribedRx Bowles And Daly
10 mi from the trail midpoint
- PrescribedRx D1 3-Mile Bravo
21 mi from the trail midpoint · 400 acres
- PrescribedRx Cutaway
24 mi from the trail midpoint
- PrescribedRx D3 Tepee 12 Johnson Wf Landings
25 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
Historic places nearby
Guidebooks for Montana
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Palisade Trail?
The Forest Service records 6.8 miles under this name in Bitterroot National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Palisade Trail?
Bitterroot National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the Palisade Trail start?
The line begins at 46.2849° N, 113.7841° W and ends at 46.3126° N, 113.8788° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Palisade Mountain NRT Trailhead, 0.2 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Palisade 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 Palisade Trail?
Crystal Creek Campground (4 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 Palisade 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 Palisade Trail?
The typical grade is 12-20 percent.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Palisade Trail a national trail?
Yes. The record marks it as a National Recreation Trail.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Palisade Trail?
Bitterroot National Forest, Forest Service unit 0103. The trail is in Montana.
Is there a fire near the Palisade Trail?
The interagency feed shows 4 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx Bowles And Daly at 10 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named Palisade 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.