Idaho, Montana · Trail 559

Spruce Creek

Spruce Creek Trail is an 8.6-mile trail in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho and Montana. 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 end46.1151° N, 114.4978° W · Directions ↗
Other end46.0611° N, 114.5818° 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

Length8.6 miles
Typeland trail
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers559
ForestNez Perce-Clearwater National Forest (unit 0117)
StatesIdaho, Montana
Detail publishedcenterline 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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Spruce Creek 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, 16 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. The station sits about 1,900 feet lower than the trail midpoint, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Wilderness

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

Bear Creek Pass Horse Camp Trailhead
Open July
Camping limited to 14 consecutive days.
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

  • Prescribed
    Rx D2 Fern Creek 1.3C

    16 mi from the trail midpoint · 269 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D4 Piquett Creek

    21 mi from the trail midpoint · 2,210 acres

  • Prescribed
    Rx D3 Tepee 12 Johnson Wf Landings

    38 mi from the trail midpoint

  • Prescribed
    Rx Bowles And Daly

    43 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.

Limited data for this unit

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 every Sunday. Sections appear on the first run after the forest publishes more.

Explore

Guidebooks for Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness and Idaho

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

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

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Spruce Creek Trail?

The Forest Service records 8.6 miles under this name in Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Spruce Creek Trail?

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.

Source: Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest official page

Where does the Spruce Creek Trail start?

The line begins at 46.1151° N, 114.4978° W and ends at 46.0611° N, 114.5818° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Bear Creek Pass Horse Camp 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 Spruce Creek Trail in a wilderness area?

Yes. It enters Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.

Source: Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

Where can I camp near the Spruce Creek Trail?

Schumaker Campground (2.5 mi) is within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists it with site counts and booking links.

Source: Campsite Atlas

Who manages the Spruce Creek Trail?

Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Forest Service unit 0117. The trail is in Idaho and Montana.

Source: Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Spruce Creek 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 16 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.

Source: Fire nearby

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named Spruce Creek 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 November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.