Parking
From US 212, turn onto West Fork Road and stay left where signed. Pavement ends about 4.5 miles after the turn; the West Fork Rock Creek Trailhead is another 5.5 miles along the dirt road. A vault toilet is at the trailhead.
Overview
About Quinnebaugh Meadows Trail
Why go
- Waterfall stops break up a long forest approach
- The destination opens beneath the Silver Run Plateau
Heads up
- The full out-and-back is about nine miles, with some descriptions counting it closer to ten
- The burn section is exposed, and the waterfalls can be partly screened from the path
Quinnebaugh Meadows is a 9-mile out-and-back on West Fork Trail #1, from West Fork Rock Creek Trailhead to the Lake Mary junction and back. The walk gains about 900 feet, from roughly 7,900 feet at the trailhead to 8,800 feet at the meadows. Allow about five and a half hours at a steady hiking pace, plus time for the falls and the meadow. Some local trail descriptions count the trip closer to 10 miles; use the Lake Mary junction as the turnaround and check your own track if the mileage matters.
Parkwolf’s verdictIs this the meadow hike for you?Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Beartooth Highway map
Full mapElevation7,936–8,839 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
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 Quinnebaugh Meadows Trail, 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 trailhead
West Fork Road: Calamity and Sentinel Falls0:00 / 0:24
“You're approaching West Fork Road, the access for the Calamity and Sentinel Falls hike. The trailhead is farther up the valley, with the final five and a half road miles on dirt.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Beartooth Highway Tour Guide.
- 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 Quinnebaugh Meadows Trail
Fire opening and waterfallsThe first stretch crosses the area burned in the 2008 Cascade Fire.
The first stretch crosses the area burned in the 2008 Cascade Fire. It is sunnier and more open than the forest farther on. At about 1.3 miles, a short spur on the left reaches a viewing area near Calamity Falls and a narrow gorge. The viewpoint sits close to the edge, so stay back. Sentinel Falls, about 1.8 miles from the trailhead, drops in several cascades; parts of the falls can be hard to see from the path. Lodgepole forest returns beyond the waterfalls and brings welcome shade.
The walk toward the meadowsBeyond the falls, the trail follows the West Fork grade through forest and smaller openings.
Beyond the falls, the trail follows the West Fork grade through forest and smaller openings. The route eventually reaches the broad Quinnebaugh Meadows below the Silver Run Plateau, with Whitetail Peak nearby. Wildflowers add seasonal color, but bloom timing varies. The meadows are the payoff for a long approach, not a quick viewpoint stop.
Where this route turns aroundFor this hike, stop at Quinnebaugh Meadows at the Lake Mary junction, 4.
For this hike, stop at Quinnebaugh Meadows at the Lake Mary junction, 4.5 miles from the trailhead. The nine-mile total does not include the Lake Mary spur or the longer continuation toward Sundance Lake and Sundance Pass. Those are separate, longer outings; the Sundance Lake route continues well beyond the meadow junction.
Access and safetyFrom US 212, turn onto West Fork Road and stay left where signed. Pavement ends about 4.
From US 212, turn onto West Fork Road and stay left where signed. Pavement ends about 4.5 miles after the turn; continue another 5.5 miles on dirt road to the trailhead. A vault toilet is available there, but no food or potable-water service is listed. This is bear country: carry bear spray, keep pets under control, and pack out pet waste. Check road status before driving the unpaved approach.
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.
