West Fork Hikes
Hikes up the West Fork of Rock Creek
Distance from Red Lodge 3mi - 13mi
Willow Creek Trail
From Highway 212, turn right/west near the south end of Red Lodge on West Fork Road; go one mile on pavement, turn right onto Palisades Campground Road, then 1 ½ miles to the Campground. The trailhead is at the far west end of the camp ground. This is a pleasant, forested, streamside, steady uphill trail about two miles and 800’ elevation to the Red Lodge Mountain parking lot. Nice mountain biking.
Silver Run Trails
Take the West Fork Road off Hwy 212 and proceed 2.7 miles; turn left at the fork continuing on pavement another 1 ½ miles. Turn left at the sign for Silver Run Road, cross the bridge and park. The trails begin about ¼ mile west of the parking lot. Loop 1: 2.4 miles; loop 2: 3.4 miles; loop 3: 4.5 miles; loop 4: 5.1 miles. All are in lodgepole pine forest, are slightly uphill at first, and return along the river. Loop 4 connects to the Basin Lakes Trail. Nice mountain biking.
An option here is the Ingles Creek Trail which branches south off loop 2 past the bridge, and continues uphill about 2 miles and 1600’ to the ridge, meeting the Silver Run trail, then a mile down to the trailhead.
[The Silver Run Trail begins at the same parking lot as the Loop trails, or you can drive up that Silver Run road (high clearance vehicle) two miles to the trailhead. The distance from the Silver Run trailhead to the plateau is 2+ miles and 2000’ elevation.]
Basin Creek Lakes Trail
Turn west off Highway 212, south side of Red Lodge, onto West Fork Road and continue 2.7 miles; turn left at the junction, continuing on pavement 4.2 miles; turn left at the Basin Creek Lake trailhead. This trail is uphill 2 ½ miles and 1400’ to the lower lake, and another 1 ½ miles and 700’ to the upper lake, all in lodgepole pine forest. (No horses except during hunting season).
Timberline Trail
Four miles past Basin Lakes trailhead on the left is Timberline Lake Trailhead. This trail is four miles and 2,100’, near a stream, through a lot of burned forest. The lake is at the foot of 12,500’ Silver Run Mountain. Lake Gertrude about ½ mile below Timberline Lake. [A junction at 2 ½ miles heads left to Silver Run Lakes (1 ½ mi. & 700’) and the switchbacks up to Silver Run Plateau, continuing on as the Beartrack Trail over the Plateau. (No bikes)].
Senia Creek Trail
The Senia trailhead is at the end of West Fork road. This trail is a steep 2.5 miles and 2,000 feet to the Red Lodge Creek Plateau. It connects to the Red Lodge Creek Trail (north east) and to the Spread Creek Trail down to East Rosebud Lake.
West Fork Trail
At the end of West Fork Road (12.7 miles from Red Lodge) is the trailhead for the West Fork Trail. A pleasant 4 mile hike, gaining 1,000’ and passing Calamity Falls and Sentinel Falls, takes you to Quinnebaugh Meadows. The trail continues to Sundance Pass, or up to Lake Mary.