Montana trails · Lake Fork
A 9.3-mile out-and-back in Montana, with 3,876 ft of climbing. Reaches Sundance Pass and other lake/pass destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 55% of the ascent, between mile 6.2 and mile 9.4. It climbs almost continuously, with little descent to recover on.
LAKE FORK — parking nearby, restroom, water. 45.07917, -109.41056 · directions
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:07 a.m., the sun rises at 6:38 a.m. and sets at 7:56 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:27 p.m. (MDT) — 13 h 19 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 18.7-mile round trip takes roughly 10 h 48 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 5:26 p.m. — 2 h 31 min before sunset.