West Fork Trail #1

West Fork Trail #1 is a long out-and-back from the West Fork Rock Creek trailhead to Sundance Pass. The trail reaches the pass after 11 miles, so this record describes about 22 miles round trip; the mapped trail corridor is drawn once. It follows the creek’s grade through the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness before a steep final climb to the 11,045-foot pass. The route rises about 3,000 feet. This is a hard, high-altitude day: budget roughly 12–14 hours for the return, a planning estimate rather than a posted time. The pass also joins Lake Fork Trail #2, but crossing over makes a point-to-point trip that needs a second vehicle or shuttle.

The opening stretch moves between open, sunny ground and streamside trail; shade returns in the forest beyond the falls. Calamity Falls is about 1.3 miles from the trailhead, followed by Sentinel Falls at 1.8 miles. Short side paths lead toward the cascades, but the falls can be hard to see clearly from the trail. The Calamity Falls spur approaches a gorge edge, so take care there. These early landmarks make useful turnaround points for a much shorter outing, but they do not represent the full route to Sundance Pass.

At about 4.5 miles, the trail reaches Quinnebaugh Meadows and the junction for Lake Mary Trail #1B. The Lake Mary spur is separate from the pass route. The meadows open up the creek corridor beneath the surrounding high ridges, after several miles of narrower trail. Sundance Lake lies about 8 miles in; distances in this description are one way from the West Fork trailhead.

Past Sundance Lake, the trail climbs steeply for roughly three miles to Sundance Pass. The pass is the end of this route listing, not a loop: unless you have arranged a pickup on the Lake Fork side, turn around and retrace the same trail. The upper basin is the route’s signature view, with rocky high country and small lakes; save enough time and energy for both the ascent and the return to the trailhead.

From the Beartooth Ranger District office, follow US 212 toward Red Lodge; after about 0.3 mile, turn west onto West Fork Road. Stay left at the signed fork about 2.8 miles in; pavement ends after about 4.5 miles, then continue another 5.5 miles on dirt to the trailhead. A vault toilet is available there. Check current access information before driving the final dirt road. The route is in designated wilderness: groups are limited to 15 people, food must be stored in bear-resistant containers, and campfires must stay at least 200 feet from lakes and 100 feet from flowing water. Carry bear spray and keep pets under control.