Montana Creek Trail
Just outside of Denali National Park
Epic Overview
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6/7
The Northern Epics Quality Score is our trail rating system. We only list and review trails that we personally have hiked. Fortunately, as a guided hiking outfit, we hike a lot.
Why is the Northern Epics Quality Score out of 7 instead of 5 or 10? Because we wanted to. 7 is a fun number!
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~500 ft.
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~10 miles (but you can go further)
Montana Creek Trail Description
This is a fantastic trail, especially if you want big Alaskan scenery without the punishing elevation gain. While there are a few steeper stretches, the route mostly sidehills along the base of Sugarloaf Mountain and Divide Mountain, offering a relaxed but engaging hike.
Follow the trail to Lynx Creek, instantly recognizable by its striking orange-and-white riverbed. The unusual coloring comes from talc and iron runoff from the mountains above — a vivid little geology lesson tucked right into the landscape. After crossing the creek, the trail continues along the mountainside and takes you through a full sampler platter of Interior Alaska terrain: dense spruce stands, bright aspen groves, open bogs, and more. It’s the whole Alaskan experience in one hike.
Around the five-mile mark, you’ll reach Dick White’s old cabin — a fascinating glimpse into what it meant to live in Alaska before modern conveniences. Everything Dick White owned had to be hauled in on the same trail you just hiked. Need rice? That meant a five-mile hike out, a trip to the store, and a five-mile haul back in with a bag of rice on your back. The cabin isn’t pristine today, nor is it maintained like an official historic site, but its weathered, hidden-away nature is part of what makes it so compelling.
If you still have energy (or you’re chasing a true wilderness adventure), you can continue onward to Montana Creek and follow the much rougher trail for dozens more miles. It loops around the backside of Mt. Fellows and delivers the full Alaskan odyssey — creek crossings, route-finding, and moments of losing and re-finding the trail included.
Montana Creek Trail Map
Getting to the Montana Creek Trail
Go up the Grande Denali Road towards the Grande Denali Lodge. This steep gravel road switchbacks up the side of Sugarloaf Mountain. Park at the gravel pullout on the left side of the road about three quarters of the way up. If you reach the pullout with the dumpsters, you’ve gone too far. Cross the road and find the unmarked trail that splits the alder bushes on the other side. You’ll see a “Beware of Bears” sign on one of the first trees. At trail intersections, stay on the trail most traveled (usually straight).
Make it a Tour!
Hiking in Denali on your own is beautiful; hiking with Northern Epics is meaningful. We’ll help you notice what most people walk right past—wildlife signs, edible plants and berries, glacial scars, and the living story of this place.
Similar to the Montana Creek trail: 5-Hour Into the Mountains Hike
The Into the Mountains Hike combines jaw-dropping views, strenuous hiking, and fascinating insights about the land. As with all Northern Epics tours, you’re guided by an expert naturalist — someone who can not only navigate the trail, but paint a picture of it as you hike. Learn the similarities and differences between the boreal forest ecosystems you start in, and the sub-alpine tundra you hike into above the tree line. How the ground squirrels, marmots, and ravens live in this harsh environment, and what makes these ecosystems so unique. The Montana Creek trail is an absolute favorite for our Into the Mountains Hike. But on our hike, our guides will take you on their personal favorite, unnamed offshoots of this trail that head straight up Mt. Sugarloaf! So if you like everything I just told you about, and want an expert guide to lead the way, give us a call!
This is a strenuous hike. Want something easier or off-trail? Click here