Kootenai National Forest · Montana

Rock Lake

4.0 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 935 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 24-36 inches wide · hiking, bike

Trailhead #935 Rock Lake Trailhead Drive there

#935 Rock Lake Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

This popular Cabinet Mountains Wilderness trail leads to Rock Lake. The trail follows an old mining road for the first three miles to the historic Heidelberg Mine then single track tread climbs the last mile to Rock Lake. Views of mountain peaks, waterfalls and alpine meadows can be seen from the trail and lake. Occasionally moose can be seen in Rock Creek Meadows and mountain goats can often be seen around Rock Lake. A couple dispersed campsites exist in the meadows and at the lake. Cutthroat trout can be found in the lake also.

Numerous stream crossings exist on the trail. All the major stream crossings have bridges with the exception of a major crossing less than a ¼ mile from the trailhead. This stream crossing can be difficult and dangerous to negotiate during peak runoff.

Rock Lake Trail #935

Restrictions <ul><li><strong>No motorized vehicles.</strong></li><li><strong>No mechanized use:&nbsp;</strong> No mechanized use within the wilderness boundary.</li><li>Properly possess and store all food, refuse, and other attractants pursuant to Kootenai National Forest <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd534160.pdf">Food Storage Order</a> (CFR 261.58 (cc)).</li><li>Please practice Pack-in-Pack-out and Leave-No-Trace ethics.</li><li>Cabinet Mountains Wilderness has limits&nbsp;on the number of persons and stock when traveling in parties. Included is a list of all <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5413129.pdf">prohibited acts</a>. You can learn more about wilderness by visiting <a href="http://www.wilderness.net/">Wilderness.net</a></li></ul>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Kootenai National Forest

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About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.