Montana trails · Hyalite Creek
Hyalite Creek
A 7.2-mile out-and-back in Montana, with 3,423 ft of climbing. Reaches Alpine Falls and other arch/lake/summit/waterfall destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 49% of the ascent falls between mile 4.8 and mile 7.2. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Alpine Falls (waterfall)
- Apex Falls (waterfall)
- Hyalite Peak (summit)
- Arch Falls (waterfall)
- Arch Falls Natural Bridge (arch)
- S'il Vous Plait Falls (waterfall)
- Shower Falls (waterfall)
- Champagne Falls (waterfall)
- Grotto Falls (waterfall)
- Hyalite Lake (lake)
Heads up
Getting there
HYALITE CREEK (PALACE BUTTE - GROTTO FALLS TH) — parking nearby, restroom, water. 45.44747, -110.96240 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:13 a.m., the sun rises at 6:43 a.m. and sets at 8:03 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:34 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 20 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 14.4-mile round trip takes roughly 8 h 45 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:28 p.m. — 4 h 35 min before sunset.
Loop options
- GROTTO FALLS + GROTTO-HYALITE CONNECTOR + HYALITE CREEK — 4.3 mi loop, 425 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Gallatin Crest — 4.5 mi
- Indian Ridge — 13.6 mi
- Indian Ridge Trail — 13.6 mi
- Bridger Ridge — 18.0 mi