Kishenehn Trail

Kishenehn Trail is a remote 9.6-mile out-and-back in Glacier’s North Fork district, from Kishenehn South Trailhead to the historic ranger-station complex, 4.8 miles each way. Allow five to six hours. There is modest overall climbing, but the long return, two unbridged creek crossings and faint markers make this a hard day. Pick it for a wild valley walk and an unusual backcountry destination, not a quick leg-stretcher.

The route starts through dense lodgepole regrowth from the 2003 Wedge Canyon Fire, then opens to a steep-sided view across the North Fork Flathead River Valley. After about a mile it turns away from the river; Starvation Creek comes around mile 2.3. The path returns beside the river briefly before entering dark spruce forest. An old timber tower stands nearby, though its former use as a cable crossing is uncertain. At the early opening, leave a few standing trunks in the frame with the valley beyond to show the drop and scale.

The larger ford at Kishenehn Creek comes about four miles in. It can split into several channels, with slippery cobbles and current. After the far bank the route is easier to lose: look for a cairn, then the small orange marker on a tree, and continue past a beaver pond. At the junction near mile 4.7, take the left branch to the ranger station about a tenth of a mile farther on. The other branch leads into a different backcountry route.

Kishenehn Ranger Station is a cluster of historic log buildings in a forest clearing. This walk follows an abandoned extension of Inside North Fork Road that reached toward the patrol station and Canadian border by 1931, as part of a proposed road loop around Glacier. The earlier rough road grew from an unsuccessful oil-prospecting push toward Kintla. Turn around at the station and retrace the same 4.8 miles.

Reach Kishenehn South Trailhead on Inside North Fork Road north of Polebridge; horse rails and a livestock-unloading ramp mark the roadside start. Formal parking capacity and services are not documented. Pets are not permitted on park trails. Check current North Fork road access before driving this remote approach.