Open in App
Get this trail on your phone instantly.
more stats
4.3 miles
Distance
1,858 ft
Climb
-44 ft
Descent
01:27:28
Avg time
1,814 ft
Altitude change
7,108 ft
Altitude min
8,937 ft
Altitude max
7,108 ft
Altitude start
8,924 ft
Altitude end
7.9%
Grade
-13.6%
Grade max
48.8%
Grade min
4 miles
Distance climb
1,007 ft
Distance down
574 ft
Distance flat
01:27:28
Avg time
Emerald Lake Details
-
Activities
- Mountain Bike
- E-Bike
- Horse
- Hike
- Trail Running
-
Riding AreaNorthern Gallatin Range
Bozeman, Montana -
Ref Number#434
-
Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlue (1 vote)
-
Local Popularity75 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 75 in E-Biking
- 70 in Trail Running
- 95 in Hiking
- 5 in Horseback
-
Global Ranking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
-
Bike TypeAM, Fat
-
DirectionBoth Directions
-
Climb DifficultyBlack Diamond
-
Physical RatingHard
-
SeasonJune-September
-
Dogs AllowedYes
-
eBike AllowedYes up to Class 1
-
TTFs on TrailBridge
-
Land OwnerCuster Gallatin National Forest
This out and back trail climbs steadily over roots and rocks before committing to a series of switchbacks eventually depositing you at Emerald Lake which is situated at the head of a stunning alpine basin. Retrace your route enjoying the full range of trail surfaces from the rough upper sections to the flowy forested floor of the lower canyon. **FYI** This trail is subject to the Trail Timeshare plan which prohibits mountain bike use on Sundays and Mondays between July 16 and September 5.
Access Info
The trailhead can be found at the end of the east fork road of hyalite canyon.
Disclaimer
No Mtn Bikes Sundays and Mondays; Trail Time Share July 16 to September 5. Ebikes and Motorcycles allowed W,Th, F, Sat from 7/16 until 9/04.
Trail Supporters
USFSLand Manager
Local Trail Association
-
-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 1 rides
- 8 miles average
6 Months
- 1 rides
- 8 miles avg distance
All
- 147 rides
- Last: Jun 19, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Emerald Lake Trail Reports
more »
close
-
Layers w
- Weather Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- More Layers
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
- Pro
-
Upgrade to
3D
Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users ridelogs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of riders are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans ridelogs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more rides = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
- most popular
- popular
- less popular
- not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data.
?
Personal Heatmap
▶
Activity Types
all
/
none
▶
Options
2
Date range
month
–
Winter Trails
Warning
A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where riders jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status
![map legend]()
Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Suggested Layers
Based on selected activity type
Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.
Save
Directions to emerald-lake trailhead
(45.458120, -110.921040)
Photos
42 more »
Videos
4 more »
4:49 |
1095 |
Jul 27, 2020 , Bozeman
0:00 |
334 |
Jul 7, 2020 , Bozeman
10:17 |
99 |
Dec 12, 2019 , Bozeman
0:45 |
132 |
Dec 12, 2019 , Bozeman
Trail Products
We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!
Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.
Nearby Trails
- Emerald Lake Road 223 ft
- Palisade Falls Scenic Trail 2 miles
- Maxey Cabin Trail 2 miles
- Window Rock Cabin Access Road 3 miles
- Westshore Trail Connector 3 miles
Northern Gallatin Range
- By dirtweasel
& contributors - #60953 - 9,125 views
- Follow/Subscribe
- login to download gpx or kml files.
Frequently Asked Questions About Emerald Lake
▼
Where is Emerald Lake located?
Emerald Lake is located in Northern Gallatin Range, Bozeman, Montana, United States. It is part of the Northern Gallatin Range trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 45.45812, -110.92104.
▼
How hard is Emerald Lake?
Emerald Lake is rated as Black Diamond difficulty. The physical rating is Hard. The average grade is 7.9%. The climb difficulty is rated Black Diamond.
▼
What is the elevation gain for Emerald Lake?
Emerald Lake has 1,858 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 44 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 7,108 ft to 8,937 ft.
▼
Is Emerald Lake a point to point trail?
Emerald Lake is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.
Hit the Trail
Download Trail
Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
Find Related Routes
Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
You must enter a description before submitting.