Highline Trail

Difficulty:  Strenuous      Trail Use:   Moderate

Length:   12 miles from Granite Cr Road to jct with Granite Cr Trail, 18 miles from Cache Cr T.H. to Granite Cr Road

Elevation:    6808 ft at Granite Cr Road Trailhead, 8448 ft at jct with Little Granite Cr Trail, 8094  ft at jct with Granite Cr Trail

Open to:  Hikers, Equestrian

Trail Highlights:

From Granite Cr T.H-

• The trail begins by climbing steeply through aspen forest and eventually getting into a burned area near the top.  The trail tops out and goes through the burn for roughly half a mile.  There can be significant downfall in this area and the trail can be difficult to follow, especially with stock.
• The trail continues through sections of burned timber and open sagebrush hillside until reaching a junction with the Little Granite Cr Trail.  This junction is marked with a post and the trail heads down the drainage to the left.  The Highline Trail continues straight and climbs steeply up an open hillside with amazing views.
• The trail levels out again in an upper alpine meadow with incredible wildflowers during the summer months.  It crosses several small streams and climbs up to another saddle and a small junction that will lead users down to the Horse Cr drainage.
• From here the trail remains relatively flat for several miles as it makes its way across the lower flanks of the Gros Ventre crest.  It crosses through several alpine meadows and can be difficult to follow in places.  The trail route has been marked out by trail crews with wooded posts and rock piles.
• The trail then gets into some steep sidehill sections that have sloughed greatly over the years.  During the summer the trail can be extremely overgrown and hard to follow and there are several muddy areas where the trail crosses through drainages.  Work is slated for this area in the next year.
• The trail finally reaches a large saddle underneath Gros Peak, offering spectacular views down the Cache Cr drainage.  Stay to the right here to find the trail descending into the drainage which should be marked with posts.  This eventually leads users down to the wilderness boundary on the Cache C.r Trail

Options

• The first junction is with the Little Granite Cr Trail about 4 miles from the trailhead.  Users could potentially do a loop if you shuttle one car to the Little Granite Cr Trailhead and the other to the Highline Trailhead.
• The next junction is with a smaller trail that will take you down to the Horse Cr saddle.  From here you can either head down into Little Granite, or into Horse Cr. 
• The final junction is with the Granite Cr Trail that will lead you up and over into the Flat Cr headwaters area where you can go towards Goodwin Lake or Turquoise Lake..

Important Information

• The Highline Trail is located within the Gros Ventre Wilderness.  See restrictions link below for more information.
• The Highline Trail can be difficult to follow in some places.  Have good maps and know your route well.  Much of it is marked with posts but many of these fall over during the winter.
• This trail is located on USGS quad maps for Granite Falls, Bull Cr, Turquoise Lake, and Cache Cr. 

At a Glance