Mileage: 4.5-mile round trip
Difficulty: Average
Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet
Major Hike Features: A 4.5-mile round trip with 1,000 feet of elevation gain makes this a perfect afternoon hike. A moderate trail that will give you some good exercise without being too strenuous, Regal Creek has its share of unique features. Beginning with a steady climb, it eventually steadies out to some great views of Lightning Creek Valley. Eventually, the trail will take you to an old mine.
Just remember to come prepared. You’ll want to bring:
- Plenty of water. There is no water along the trail and the first two miles is on a mostly exposed and sunny slope.
- Hiking Poles. The trial is steep with loose rock.
- A map. The trail can be hard to find sometimes.
- Long pants. Overgrown brush, downed trees, can be abundant in early summer before our volunteer trail crew clears the path.
- A trowel to do your business and a bag for your trash. There is not bathroom at the trailhead so you’ll have to bury your business and pack out your toilet paper.
Getting to the Trailhead: Take Highway 200 (east from Sandpoint) to Clark Fork. Turn north at the Chevron Station and follow Lightning Creek Road 419. The trailhead is nearly directly across the road from MP6 and just a few hundred yards short of Morris Creek. There is a fiberglass lath with the number 556 on it.
