Trout Creek Canyon Trail - Helena

The road through Trout Creek Canyon was once part of the Figure 8 Scenic Route; this three-mile stretch was destroyed during a spring flood in 1981 and has been maintained as a trail ever since. It features some spectacular viewing opportunities of magnificent limestone formations.The first mile of this trail is accessible, featuring a bench at approximately .5 mile from the trailhead and a picnic table at the one-mile marker. Hikers can pick up an interpretive brochure at the trailhead signboard that hikers can refer to as they reach one of the ten numbered benchmarks along the first mile of their hike.The length of the trail is 3 miles. The hike is rated as easy with only a minor elevation gain of 800 feet. The trail begins near Vigilante Campground (Township 12N, Range 1E, Section 30) and end at Forest Road 138. Maps available are the Helena National Forest Visitor map and Quads: Hogback Mountain and Snedaker Basin.