North Chinese Wall

An up-close visit to a Western landmark and an epic adventure

Seven day trip into the heart of the Bob for an unforgettable visit to a Montana landmark, the north Chinese Wall on the Continental Divide. This trip has great elevation change from multiple passes, the Sun River valley, and camping under this amazing geological wonder.

Book Trip

Spectacular Route

Probably our most impressive riding loop. Two high mountain passes, alpine basins, 1000ft cliffs is an unmatched travel experience.

Beautiful Campsites

This progressive trip visits multiple camps, each with it’s own hidden wonders and adventuresome options.

Riders & Adventurers

Each site has its something exceptional to pursue. Such a great mix of photography, fishing, hiking, and trail rides.

Unmatched Scenery

Whether your passion is horses, photography, hiking to unvisited places, or mixing it up, this trip delivers those special experiences

Ready to visit the Chinese Wall?

7 days – 2 Available

July 28 to August 3, 2026

North Chinese Wall Expedition

Our most popular progressive travel adventure of the summer. This 7 day trip travels every other day to a new campsite destination. These vary from Sun River valley sites to high alpine sites nestled under the Continental Divide.

The route is particular impressive, with significant elevation gain over its total length. We will cross two high alpine mountain passes, pass through vast old growth forests (we call the Lick Creek ride the “enchanged forest”), and ride along the 1,000 foot clif of the Chinese Wall for a day.

The hiking opportunities are equally impressive. Wildlife are common in the meadows along Lick Creek (our first campsite) and Gates Park (our last campsite), and both have intermittent regrowth timber where viewsheds are outstanding. The area around Sock Lake (our middle camp) is stunning with high alpine basins, the Chinese Wall, and Sock Lake (a small glacial cirque nestled in the Wall) all readily accessible.

Your Day in the Wilderness

Each day starts with a hearty breakfast to prepare you for a full day of adventure. On travel days we start pretty early, with the stock going out before daylight. Breakfast follows pretty quickly. You will have a sack lunch each day so on layover days you can explore on your own and on travel days we’ll be moving to the next location. We always do a great dinner for you towards evening with hearty western fare. On most nights we’ll set up a fun campfire for everyone to enjoy. The Bob Marshall skies rare amazing at night if you can stay up until dark.

Day 1 - Route Creek Pass

Crossing Route Creek Pass into the Bob!

Pack up at the Middle Fork Teton trailhead. The ride over Route Creek Pass (elevation 6,800 ft) is a great start of the day and only the first 2 hours. The trail from the basin below the pass begins a gradual descent along Route Creek to the North Fork Sun River valley. Along the way we have wide open vistas. We often see wildlife along this ride as is a natural corridor for traveling elk, black bear, deer, and other critters. Camp this evening is at Lick Creek just up from the Sun River.

Riding distance: 14 miles

Day 2 - Lick Creek

Hidden Camping Gem

The Lick Creek camp is a beautiful hidden gem above the confluent of the Sun River. The fishermen will want to get to the North Fork for some high action fishing. Riders will have option of explore a beautiful day ride towards Gates Park. There are great hiking options in this sparsley timbered valley.

Day 3 - Riding Under the Wall

Exceptional travel day under the North Wall

This day we pack up and head for our day under the Chinese Wall. This is a great day. A gradual grade but all uphill, we go through older burns and old growth forest before arriving at the alpine basins beneath the Wall. We’ll cross alpine basins atop Lick Creek and Red Shale Creek with exceptional views at each point. The camp area is in a small nook below Sock Lake and directly below the Wall – an unparalleled site for sure. We’ll spend 2 nights at this camp.

Riding distance: 12 miles.

Day 4 - Sock Lake

Climbing the Wall!

Many will chose to climb up the goat trail to Sock Lake. The lake is a glacial cirque mid-way up the Wall. A truly unique and highly picturesque spot. The view of the Sun Valley in the distance is superb, and the hiking is exceptional. For those wanting to explore the remote basins along the Wall there are lots of great hiking options.

Day 5 - Red Shale to Gates Park

Riding to the Sun Valley

We pack up and head down Red Shale Creek to the Gates Park camp. We gradually drop from the Wall down Red Shale Creek to the broad valley of the Sun River and Gates Park, which is the last of the massive meadows along the Sun River. This area is largely old burn and offers a lot of open viewing. We often see game along this trail.

Riding distance: 9 miles

Day 6 - Gates Park

Gates Park Exploration

Great fishing abounds for the fishermen on the North Fork Sun river 10 minutes from camp. Riding options are exceptional including day rides to Biggs Creek flats, with open meadows and vast scenery on the hills. Hiking opportunities are abundant

Day 7 - A Scenic Ride Home

Morning Light and One Last Pass

We break camp early and head back over Headquarters Pass, starting before the heat and dust of the day. Lunch is enjoyed in the basin below the pass, where mountain goats and bighorn sheep are often seen on the surrounding slopes.

The ride concludes at the South Fork Teton trailhead in the early afternoon.

Riding distance: 14 miles

Activities & Experience

Ideal for Mixed Groups of Riders and Adventurers

This trip is rich in opportunity for fantastic trail riding, hiking, scenery, and photography. You do not need to be an experienced horse rider to go on this trip. However, if you are experienced this will be a very unique trail riding adventure. Every camp has something unique to offer. The hiking and riding along the Chinese Wall are an incredibly unique and rare opportunity and you will have a lot of options for both. There is some fishing on the last campsite visited.

Weather

Clear Mountain Days and Crisp Nights

Late July has generally quite stable weather. Days can be warm, in the high 70’s. Nights are cool, and early mornings quite crisp. You will see temps dip into the low 40’s at night. We have a LOT of sun during the day, so be prepared with hats and sunscreen. There are occassional thunderstorms this time of year, so having some light raingear is important. These storms blow through quickly but are known for spectacular lightning shows.

Landscape & Elevations

Big Sky Country!

This is one of our most varied trips in terms of elevation changes. The trip starts by peaking at 7,000 feet at Route Creek pass then dropping to the Sun Valley at 5,600 feet. Then we climb up under the Chinese Wall to 7,600 feet. Then back down the Sun Valley at 5,200 feet. Our final day we cross Headquaters Pass at 8,000 feet. All while covering about 60 trail miles.

The landscape is highly varied as well. High alpine passes and basins. Large open meadows along the Sun River. Old growth timber on Lick Creek. Multiple burn/regrowth forests on Red Shale Creek. Each day presents different landscapes with different perspectives with outstanding photography options and all framed by our famous Big Sky backdrop.

Interesting in some fishing options on this trip?

What to Bring

Packing for Mid-Summer Comfort

Our recommended camping gear list is downloadable from the link below. As a summary however, you’ll want to keep in mind the following specifics about this trip. There are 4 travel days and 3 lay over days (non-traveling).

This trip covers some incredible country ranging from the beautiful vistas of the Sun Valley in early summer. The average riding day is 11 miles and we travel every other day. This trip has great opportunity for riders, photographers, hikers, fishermen, and explorers.

The things that are important and make your trip most comfortable are layered clothing appropriate for early summer. It can get hot during the day, but the nights will be surprising cool.

We can also get a thunderstorm on any given day, so you’ll need good rain gear that you can wear riding or hiking. Comforable hiking/riding shoes are a must, and a good assortment of hiking socks varying from light to medium weight. Also, you may consider chaps for riding, or silk under your jeans as we do have some ground to cover on horseback. This will mitigate chafing.

Recommended Camping Gear

Recommended Fishing Gear

Ready for Your Wall Trip with Circle 8?

A capstone trip to the Chinese Wall in the heart of the Bob Marshall Wilderness!