High Rock Hike

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Features Commonly Backpacked · Fall Colors · Lake · River/Creek · Swimming · Views · Waterfall · Wildflowers · Wildlife

The High Rock Trail is a stunning new trail through alpine meadows and fir forests below dramatic peaks of the Great Divide's High Rock Range. However, the end of the High Rock Trail is not vehicle friendly. This High Rock hike includes an access trail to the High Rock Trail near its end, from an Allison Creek Road trailhead with ample parking, thus providing a totally vehicle accessible adventure on the gorgeous High Rock Trail. This 30 mile hike is a wonderful 3-day backpack along a beautiful stretch of the Great Divide Trail (GDT).

This hike follows almost all of the brand new High Rock Trail. From the hike's start to its 27.8 mile mark the hike is on the High Rock Trail. An excellant, extremely detailed description of the High Rock Trail can be found here.

Good camping spots are found at Window Mountain Lake (10.9 mile mark), First Creek (18.4 mile mark), and North Racehorse Creek (22.7 mile mark).

The High Rock hike can be done in either direction. This description is for a northbound route. The hike starts at the Atlas Staging Area where the High Rock Trail is found at the south end of the staging area, on the west side of Allison Creek Road. To start, the trail heads into the forest going south. After 400ft, the trail veers southwest for a quarter mile, then heads northwest to a road almost immediately. Go right/north on this road for 400 ft to find the trail on the right/east heading into the woods. The trail bends around the north shore of Chinook Lake, and then veers north to reach a cutline to the right/east after a total of about 2.5 miles.

Continuing north on the High Rock Trail, climbing steeply the trail breaks out of the forest into alpine meadows, at about the 4.2 mile mark. Here the climb eases below the rock walls of the Great Divide's High Rock Range, to the west. To the east are broad forested valleys with views of Crowsnest Mountain and Seven Sisters across them. Hiking in alpine meadows, below the rugged peaks of the High Rock Range, after 2 more miles the climb steepens and the first high point is reached at the 7.3 mile mark.

From here this hike runs along the High Rock Range's rocky, majestic peaks, close by to the west, until it leaves the High Rock Trail to return to Allison Creek Road where the hike ends. On the High Rock Trail, the hike alternates between dropping down into forested valleys with creeks flowing through them, and climbing to ridge tops and passes in alpine meadows. Seven high points are reached, all with awesome views of the forested valleys below and rocky peaks to the east and west. The trail is a mix of singletrack trail and ATV routes. It crosses various other "trails" and ATV tracks, so pay careful attention to trail markings - orange blazes, small GDT logos, and other signs. Also good to have an electronic device with the GPX track to follow.

Although there are many interesting features along the way, a few are worth noting.

Window Mountain Lake at the 10.9 mile mark, is a pretty lake set in a dramatic cirque just below peaks of the Great Divide. There is a nice campground here. The final climb to Window Mountain Lake and climb/descent out are both rather rugged. Spending a night at Window Mountain Lake is well worth the effort.

At the 12.5 mile mark, the trail heads up steep switchbacks as it begins its climb to Racehorse Shoulder. This climb, entirely in alpine meadows, has amazing views in all directions. Racehorse Shoulder, reached at the 14.2 mile mark, is the highest point along the High Rock Trail and of this hike.

After crossing First Creek at the 18.4 mile mark, the trail climbs to a saddle at the 19.8 mile mark, and veers northeast to arrive on and follow Domke Ridge for 1.5 miles. This steep sided ridge provides great views of the valleys below.

At the 27.8 mile mark, the High Rock Trail veers sharply left/northwest and another trail goes right/northeast. Go right at this junction to leave the High Rock Trail and head back to Allison Creek Road. After only 800 ft another trail junction is reach - stay right here. Now hiking on a wide ATV track, after another 2 miles Allison Creek Road is reached where this hike ends.

Conifer forest and some cut areas at lower elevations. Alpine meadows at higher elevations. Barren rock and rugged peaks at the highest elevations. Bears live here. So do smaller animals.

The High Rock Trail is new. It was built over seven years, from 2016 to 2022, by the Great Divide Trail Association's volunteer trail crews. Each summer over these seven years, typically about seven trail crews of 10 - 20 volunteers each, spent five days scouting, flagging, and building trail and bridges.

The motivation to build this trail, was to replace a stretch of the GDT to the west that was being encroached on by commercial endeavors, and thus losing it's pristine, wild character. In 2022, the High Rock Trail offially became part of the GDT at a Grand Opening Ceremony on July 22, 2022. And the old stretch to the west that it replaced was retired.