Wyoming · Trail 1281

Truck Trail 1281

Truck Trail 1281 Trail is a 6.6-mile trail in Black Hills National Forest, Wyoming. The Forest Service rates it trail class 3, developed. It is open to hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle and ATV.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Black Hills 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 end44.5116° N, 104.4147° W · Directions ↗
Other end44.5787° N, 104.3874° 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

Length6.6 miles
Trail class3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade5-8 percent
Typical tread width48-60 inches
Motor vehiclesOpen to at least one motorized use
AccessibilityNot evaluated
Trail numbers1281
ForestBlack Hills National Forest (unit 0203)
StatesWyoming
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.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Truck Trail 1281 Trail20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 1.57 inches of precipitationFebruary: 2.03 inches of precipitationMarch: 2.61 inches of precipitationApril: 3.56 inches of precipitationMay: 3.86 inches of precipitationJune: 2.93 inches of precipitationJuly: 2.44 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.92 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.71 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.06 inches of precipitationNovember: 1.79 inches of precipitationDecember: 1.73 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 23.3°F averageFebruary: 22.4°F averageMarch: 30.7°F averageApril: 37.1°F averageMay: 46.5°F averageJune: 56.0°F averageJuly: 64.0°F averageAugust: 63.1°F averageSeptember: 54.8°F averageOctober: 41.2°F averageNovember: 31.0°F averageDecember: 23.1°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Sundance 8 NNW, 3 miles from the trail midpoint at 5,792 feet, station USW00094088 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 29 inches a year.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round
Horse and pack stockAllowed
Mountain bikingAllowed year-round
MotorcycleAllowed 05/15 to 10/31 (month/day)
ATVAllowed 05/15 to 10/31 (month/day)

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.

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
    Work Center Rx

    24 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 Wyoming

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

  • Hiking Wyoming's Wind River Range
    Ben Adkison, 2023
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Wyoming's Bighorn Mountains
    Ken (Naturalist) Keffer, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Grand Teton National Park
    Bill Schneider, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Top Trails: Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
    Andrew Dean Nystrom, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes Jackson Hole
    Dina Mishev, 2017
    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 Truck Trail 1281 Trail?

The Forest Service records 6.6 miles under this name in Black Hills National Forest, the sum of 1 segment.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Truck Trail 1281 Trail?

Hiking, horse and pack stock, mountain biking, motorcycle and ATV are allowed. The trail is open to at least one motorized use. Some uses are seasonal. The allowed uses section lists the dates.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Truck Trail 1281 Trail start?

The line begins at 44.5116° N, 104.4147° W and ends at 44.5787° N, 104.3874° 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 Truck Trail 1281 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 Truck Trail 1281 Trail?

Cook Lake Recreation Area (1.4 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 Truck Trail 1281 Trail?

Trail class 3, which the Forest Service describes as 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 Truck Trail 1281 Trail?

The typical grade is 5-8 percent. The typical tread is 48-60 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Truck Trail 1281 Trail?

Black Hills National Forest, Forest Service unit 0203. The trail is in Wyoming.

Source: Black Hills National Forest official page

Is there a fire near the Truck Trail 1281 Trail?

The interagency feed shows 1 active incident within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Work Center 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 Truck Trail 1281 in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0203. 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.