Beaverhead River Trail

The Beaverhead River Trail follows the banks of one of Montana most celebrated blue-ribbon trout streams, the Beaverhead River, through the bottomland terrain at the base of the historic rock formation. The river here is a classic spring creek type fishery, clear and cold and weed-rich, supporting extraordinary populations of large wild brown and rainbow trout that draw fly fishers from throughout the world to wade its channels and backwaters.

The trail winds through the characteristic cottonwood and willow riparian gallery that lines the river, with frequent views across the calm clear water to the limestone cliffs of Beaverhead Rock rising above the valley. Great blue herons stand motionless in the shallows awaiting unwary fish, and kingfishers rattle from branch to branch along the bank ahead of approaching hikers. White-tailed deer shelter in the dense willow thickets along the river margin, and mink patrol the bank edges in their distinctive bounding gait. The loop crosses several small tributary channels and passes through meadow openings where the full panorama of the valley, the rock formation, and the surrounding mountain ranges comes into view simultaneously. The gentle terrain and modest distance make this loop accessible for all fitness levels and appropriate for combining with an interpretive visit to the historical overlook trail that ascends to the rock summit above.