Parking
Use the Lake Fork Road access at the northeast end, but no marked trail lot or shuttle arrangement was verified. Confirm legal parking at both ends and plan a pickup near Parkside Campground; otherwise retrace the route.
Overview
About Lower Parkside Trail #106
Why go
- A direct link between the Lakefork and Mainfork drainages.
- Open and wooded stretches alternate along Rock Creek.
Heads up
- Loose rocks make the broad track rough underfoot.
- Blind bends and possible motorized users need attention.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Beartooth Highway map
Full mapElevation6,775–7,244 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Best time to go
Safety
1 active Beartooth Highway alert
- ClosureBeartooth Highway seasonal closure and falling-rock advisoryBeartooth Highway (US-212) is closed for the season between Cooke City and Red Lodge; do not plan to travel the highway as a through route.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Beartooth Highway Tour Guide
Your drive to Lower Parkside Trail #106, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Beartooth Highway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Beartooth Highway audio tourRecorded for this area
A Mountain Goat's Grip0:00 / 0:30
“A mountain goat's grip starts with a hoof split into two toes. Those toes can spread apart, and soft inner pads help it hold onto uneven rock.”
Plays on the road 0.4 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Beartooth Highway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- A Cutthroat's Red Slash
- Bear Track Trailhead
- Lake Fork Road: Broadwater Lake
- The Cone Pile Under the Trees
- 62 audio storiesacross Beartooth Highway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Grizzly Bear, Gray Wolf, Bison, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 82 trails, 36 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Lower Parkside Trail #106
The short point-to-pointLower Parkside Trail 106 is a 2.
Lower Parkside Trail #106 is a 2.3-mile one-way gravel-and-rock doubletrack beside Rock Creek, running from Lake Fork Road south and west toward Parkside Campground. It climbs about 470 feet and takes around 1.5 hours one way. The walk links the Lakefork and Mainfork drainages, with views toward Mainfork near the southern end. Without a pickup, retrace the route for about 4.6 miles. The Forest Service lists the trail as #106; some map layers label the same track #104.
A rough, mixed-use roadThis is a broad track rather than a narrow footpath.
This is a broad track rather than a narrow footpath. Most of it is gravel, with larger loose rocks; about half is open and the rest runs among trees. Blind bends and tree cover can hide approaching traffic. Some trail descriptions report motorized use, although map data conflict about vehicle access, so confirm current permitted use before walking.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Beartooth Highway
42 sightingsGrizzly BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
22 sightingsGray WolfMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
49 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
122 sightingsMooseMost seen around 6 AMSighting map
260 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
16 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Beartooth Highway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
