Thunderbolt Mountain
Thunderbolt Mountain Trail is a 4.5 miles trail in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Montana. The forest has not published allowed uses for it.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge 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 | 46.3291, -112.4540 · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 46.3679, -112.4267 · 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 | 4.5 miles |
| Type | land trail |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| Trail numbers | 7330 |
| Forest | Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (unit 0102) |
| States | Montana |
| 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.
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
- PrescribedBear Gulch Rx
24 mi from the trail midpoint · 300 acres
- PrescribedJohnny Bonanza Rx
34 mi from the trail midpoint · 42 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Beaverhead-Deerlodge 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.
Explore
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Thunderbolt Mountain Trail?
4.5 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Thunderbolt Mountain Trail?
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has not published allowed uses for this trail. The forest office can say what is open.
Where does the Thunderbolt Mountain Trail start?
The line begins at 46.3291, -112.4540 and ends at 46.3679, -112.4267. 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 Thunderbolt Mountain 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 Thunderbolt Mountain Trail?
Kading Cabin (5 mi) and Whitehouse Campground (5 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Who manages the Thunderbolt Mountain Trail?
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, Forest Service unit 0102. The trail is in Montana.
Is there a fire near the Thunderbolt Mountain Trail?
2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Bear Gulch Rx at 24 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 1 segment named THUNDERBOLT MOUNTAIN in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0102. 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.