State Line Trail — Attraction in Lovell

I’d reached out to the park service before coming and the ranger told me this was her favorite trail. I can absolutely see why! We would have driven right past it if I hadn’t been looking for it as it’s not very well marked. You can walk a couple hundred feet from the tiny parking lot and get a photo of the 45th parallel / elevation sign.

There is no shade and no place to sit along the way. The trail is well marked, very interesting, and has an incredible view at the end. And the wind!!! We’d have stayed a lot longer but due to the elevation, the sun is more intense than we’re used to so we regrettably needed to come back.

I’ve added in a few extra photos of some interesting, unnamed places on the way there from Wyoming as well.

One thing worth noting. We had some great cell reception up so high, but had opted to buy a Garman, so our view of our surroundings was narrow lol. It felt very desolate at times, driving though some prehistoric areas with nary a gas station in sight, however there are towns off the main route if you are in need of services. The road between the trail and Wyoming is tough, with 10% grades and sharp turns/switchbacks. Highway 14A is actually listed on dangerousroads.org (which I didn’t know until later). If I had it to do over, we would have stayed the night and driven out...

The State Line Trail is a nice, short 1-mile hike just inside the south border of Montana. The trail leads out to some overlooks with fantastic views of the canyon.

There is a small parking area with a trail sign close by. We thought the trail was easy, although the uneven footing and slight elevation could warrant the moderate rating on the signs.

The trail is easy to follow if you look for the metal posts along the trail. However, note that a couple of the posts were knocked down, and it could be easy to get off trail if you aren't...

A nice short, easy hike out to the rim and back. There is a connector trail to "Rangers Delight" but we were running short on time and didn't take it.

Coming from the south, the sign for the trail comes up suddenly. We didn't see a sign when driving from the north, but passing from Montana into Wyoming was a clue that we missed the trail head. Limited parking, no water...