Shorty Creek - FS 589

Shorty Creek Trail is a fairly smooth, single lane wide road branching off of the Red Meadow Creek trail a short distance south of Red Meadow Lake and campground in the Flathead National Forest. The trail follows a mild uphill grade and is fairly well maintained with no obstacles. Even though the trail is named after South Fork Shorty Creek it does not follow the creek until past the current end of the trail. The lower part of the trail follows the East Fork Swift Creek which is downhill on the west side. Dispersed camping is allowed on both sides of the trail within 300 feet and several existing sites were observed including a large open area near the end. The trail also provides access to the Link Lake hiking trail, a one mile non-motorized trail leading to Link Lake, a popular hiking destination. This trail is accessible by highway legal vehicles only.