Kootenai National Forest · Montana

St Paul Lake

3.6 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 646 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike

Trailhead #646 St. Paul Lake Trailhead Drive there

#646 St. Paul Lake Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

This popular Cabinet Mountains Wilderness trail leads to St. Paul Lake. The trail follows the East Fork of the Bull River and offers travelers a “rain forest” feel with the abundance of moss and large diameter trees. Elephant Peak (7938’) and St. Paul Peak (7714’) tower over hikers as they approach St. Paul Lake. Two dispersed campsites are located in the lake basin and cutthroat trout can be found in the lake.

St. Paul Lake Trail #646 crosses Isabella Creek then the East Fork of the Bull River two times with the first crossing having a bridge suitable for foot travel but not stock. The Isabella Creek crossing is challenging and dangerous for much of the season. Numerous “seeps” and wet areas are found along the trail with puncheons negotiating many of these crossings.

St. Paul Lake Trail #646

Restrictions The St. Paul Lake trail resides within the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness area. To learn more about the rules guiding activities in Wilderness please read the CMW&nbsp;<a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5413129.pdf">prohibited acts</a>&nbsp;or visit <a href="http://www.wilderness.net/">Wilderness.net</a> <ul><li>No motorized or mechanized equipment or vehicles.</li><li>Stock is not allowed within the St. Paul Lake Basin.</li><li>Properly possess and store all food, refuse, and other attractants pursuant to Kootenai National Forest Food Storage Order (CFR 261.58 (cc)).</li><li>Please practice <em>Pack-in-Pack</em>-<em>out</em> and <em>Leave-No-Trace</em> ethics.</li></ul>

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

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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.