Explore the most popular kid friendly trails near Red Lodge with hand-curated trail maps and driving directions as well as detailed reviews and photos from hikers, campers and nature lovers like you.
Nice trail, easy enough for kids. A little bit of a challenge for my 4 year old to navigate the rocks but he had a blast. we will go back for sure. It was hard to follow the directions since there was no sign marking the turn off into west fork road from Red Lodge, we finally found it.
We only went 2 miles up. The sign to start the trail is not clear, no mention of the falls. There is no shade the first 1.5 miles. We were looking for the falls. we finally noticed a trickle on the MT and not sure if that was it. Definitely not the water falls I was expecting. It started to get nice after 1.5 miles so maybe the rest is better. The fire really made it barren those first 1.5 miles.
Great day hike. Pleasant trail with some beautiful views. Went all the way to the Meadows and back.
Good views with a Good trail for beginners. We will go again
Unfortunately we headed down river at the start of this trail instead of upriver & so cannot do a relevant review. However we did trek 14k out & back in total & it was a very picturesque trek. We had the river rapids for company the whole way & stopped half way for a picnic lunch on a rock with lovely vista. No sign of any bears although we did have beat spray at the ready.
The lake itself is just a short walk away from the campground and has a great fire pit. I wasn’t able to do the whole loop due to time constraints but the views and wildflowers were wonderful! I hope to head back later in the summer and do the whole trail.
Great starter hike for our lazy pups. Beautiful wildflowers at the trailhead of loop one.
Trail is great! A steep incline most of the way, but if you take it easy, you’ll have no problem getting to the top.
There’s a great little look out point before you make the final turn to head toward what it says is the end of the trail. A great place for a snack or some lunch or pictures.
But we learned what this trail says is the “end” is just in the middle of the trail. It keeps going on and on. We didn’t venture too far past that because we had some friends with us and a bit of a time crunch. So we went 2 miles out, and turned around to come back.
Not sure if the trail is part of a much longer one or what, but the “end” could really be that lookout point.
What a nice and easy trail to hike!
Gorgeous and willow creek is in full glorious swing
Really great little hike for the kids and old dog. We will definitely hit this one again!
We hiked this with our 8 and 4 year old. For the youngest it was a bit challenging and we turned around after a hour. Beautiful sights and cute bridges to cross.
Family hike was great was no sweat would go again!1
Great for kids. Good fishing. Pretty views if you go off the trail and up into the woods. Bathrooms and nice benches to just relax and enjoy nature
The trail description should be updated because the trail now goes all the way to the parking lot at Red Lodge Mountain.
The new, improved trail makes it a great hike, albeit a longer one.
beautiful. my favorite place to fish.
great trail, for every level!!
We plan on returning with the kids. Great walk. Dog friendly. Very easy.
Should have brought snowshoes. But it was a beautiful hike for me, my sweetie & our labs.
Great trail. Beautiful views and lots of little bridges. My young lab puppy did well on this.
It’s an easy out and back, especially if bringing kids along. The trail starts behind a campground, it was confusing to find at first because there are multiple trails that start from this campground, one leads to palisade trail and the other is this one. Overall a fun hike, super easy elevation and my dog loved the creek. There is some snow towards the end of the hike, did not see any wildlife.
pretty, restrooms, parking, short walk but nice little lake
lovely walk. could be a great 5 mile look for running. took my mother that is not big into hiking yet and she loved it. there is a short cut to make it a e mile loop, we opted for that just so she didn't get too tired in the end. Very Leisurely and enjoyable.
What a beautiful trail! We hit the trailhead around 8:00 am on an unusually cool and clear August morning and enjoyed breathtaking views on the way up to Broadwater Lake. My MapMyRun app measured 3.9 miles in. We decided to explore Lost Lake which added another 2-3 miles and two hours to our hike. The clouds formed around us and we saw limited views due to the rolling fog. But it is a beautiful lake with two small islands. We had a few stream crossings over logs or large rocks. Watch for a few waterfalls. All total, MapMyRun measured 11.5 miles in about 5 hours, not counting stops. I really appreciate how the AllTrails app allows you to see where you are on the trail even without the Internet. Very useful when trying to find Lost Lake!
I searched day hikes around Red Lodge and this one came up. I didn't plan on it being as great as it was. We didn't prepare for rough terrain so it being easy worked out. Besides it being very scenic we also saw a couple moose. It's busy with dogs and family's which I think is great. Perfect day hike.
Great hike. We went about 3 miles in and the trail becomes a bit more shaded with switchbacks in a few places. Great waterfalls just a short detour off the main trail as you go up, and alongside the trail in he beginning of the shaded area. Lots of wildflowers in late July. Even the burned sections were growing a lot of brush and were gorgeous. Great views. Fun with the dog along too.
Lovely trail that is well defined and as the description is stated. The flowers and butterflies alone were worth the trip.
Love this trail. Scenery is great. Stream has trout begging to be caught. Elevation gain is slow so the hiking is easy.
Easy, meandering trail that follows the river with gorgeous views of the mountains. Go in at least 3.7 miles to the meadow and "lake."
Very nice hike. We hiked to Lost lake( 11 miles r/t, 2.5 hours in, 2 hours out, 1500 ft vertical). Roaring stream with wild flowers. There were about a dozen people on trail with a couple horses. Well worth the doing.