Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Florence, Montana

Select a location:

Sweeney Creek Trail

4x4 high clearance switchback dirt road. This trail begins through a gravel residential neighborhood, signs ask to drive slow and keep the dust down. There are a few narrow one-lane sections that run up the…
Learn more about Sweeney Creek Trail
Total Miles
6
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

McClain Creek Road (FS 1311)

McClain Creek Road is also known as Forest Service Road 1311 and goes from the Bitterroot Valley to Carlton Lake but is gated at the 5-mile mark. The road passes through the former McClay Ranch…
Learn more about McClain Creek Road (FS 1311)
Total Miles
3.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Bass Overlook Trail

Fun switchback dirt trail that ends at a small parking area with a nice overlook. This is where the Bass Overlook Hiking trail #392 starts and is part of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. Bass Overlook Trailhead…
Learn more about Bass Overlook Trail
Total Miles
8
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Mormon Peak

The Mormon Peak Trail is an out and back at Lolo National Forest, Montana. The ride is very smooth until a bumpy section at the top. There are pull-outs along the trail to camp, but…
Learn more about Mormon Peak
Total Miles
9.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

8 Mile

This narrow, easy climb heads from the Bitterroot valley into the sapphire mountains. It begins in a residential area and then hits loose, steep switchbacks to begin the ascent. The trail gets relatively narrow in…
Learn more about 8 Mile
Total Miles
13.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Ambrose Trail

A wide well-grated dirt trail that begins at the base of the Sapphire Mountain range and gains elevation up into the mountains. It is a great trail to access other trails including the Sawmill Ridge…
Learn more about Ambrose Trail
Total Miles
7.4
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

McCalla to St.Mary's Connection

This is a pretty wooded dirt trail that runs along the hillsides between McCalla Ridge and St.Mary's. It can be used to connect all three trails up to make a loop. This trail is less…
Learn more about McCalla to St.Mary's Connection
Total Miles
2.9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

St.Mary's Peak Trail

This trail is mostly a 1 but earns the 2 rating in the last mile and two switchbacks getting to the top of the trail. This trail is used primarily to access the very popular…
Learn more about St.Mary's Peak Trail
Total Miles
3.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

McCalla Switchbacks

Dirt and rocky switchback trail running up to McCalla peak. This trail is overgrown and very narrow in a lot of places. Would recommend this trail be traveled in smaller offroad vehicles such as SxS,…
Learn more about McCalla Switchbacks
Total Miles
3.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Sluice Creek

This is a rocky twisty ridge road. It's open seasonally with a gate near the first bottom switchback. The trail has fantastic views of the Bitterroot Valley and Sapphire range. The trail is loose and…
Learn more about Sluice Creek
Total Miles
10
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Blue Mountain

Be sure to start your day with a round of frisbee golf at the Blue Mountain Disc Golf Course before continuing up Blue Mountain to find incredible vistas of the Missoula valley. The road is…
Learn more about Blue Mountain
Total Miles
12.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su

Big Creek Trailhead

This is a short and beautiful drive. It's a windy and easy graded road that almost any car can make. Once you pass the residential area, the trail twists back and forth through a beautiful…
Learn more about Big Creek Trailhead
Total Miles
2.6
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa

Smith Ridge Glen Lake

Stunning drive into the Bitterroots from the Bell Crossing area. You start in a residential area and ascend to the trailhead for the Glen Lake hike. Along the way are a few waterfalls for one…
Learn more about Smith Ridge Glen Lake
Total Miles
7.3
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Wi / Fa / Su / Sp

South Ambrose

This fun little out and back deviates from the main trail into the hills. There are lots of twists and turns, dips and dives. It's generally narrow with a few mild rutted sections. Once you…
Learn more about South Ambrose
Total Miles
3
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Larch Camp Road

Larch Camp Road is Located in a part of The Lolo National Forest in the South Hills of Missoula, Montana. It is a scenic backcountry road just a few miles from town. Great hiking in…
Learn more about Larch Camp Road
Total Miles
1.6
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Smith Ridge Dead End

Small offshoot trail on the Smith trail. Some dispersed camping right at the beginning. The trail cuts hard left into the woods. From here, it is super narrow and really difficult to find a turnaround…
Learn more about Smith Ridge Dead End
Total Miles
0.7
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Sp / Fa

Sawmill Saddle

Easy graded forest road with plenty of switchbacks and a few loose gravel sections. It's a nice trail with some views of the valley as you head into the mountains. The lower part of the…
Learn more about Sawmill Saddle
Total Miles
9
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

Smith Ridge

Twisty dirt out and back trail gaining elevation up to a nice campsite or turn around. Mostly treed trail with some beautiful views out to the Bitterroot valley in a few areas where the trees…
Learn more about Smith Ridge
Total Miles
2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Lower Smith Ridge

This is an offshoot from the main trail. Seasonally closed Oct 14th through June 16th. It features forest views and chances to spot deer and elk. There is a small dispersed campsite at the end…
Learn more about Lower Smith Ridge
Total Miles
1.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

Clairmont

This out and back starts with decent-sized potholes and dense trees and then opens up to amazing cliffsides with epic views. There are hardly any places to pass oncoming, and no camping spots were noticed…
Learn more about Clairmont
Total Miles
5.8
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Middle Ambrose

This trail spurs off from the South Ambrose Trail. It starts out easy with some fun turns and a few dispersed camping spots. As one continues, one will encounter some deeper puddles and washouts. About…
Learn more about Middle Ambrose
Total Miles
3.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Sp / Su

Miller Peak

This peak tower access road starts with some loose rocky, rutted, steep, and longer duration climbs. There are also a few rainwater diverting hills. Once those are out of the way, the trail is relatively…
Learn more about Miller Peak
Total Miles
4.3
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Smiths Grassy Offshoot

A grassy offshoot from Smiths Trail. Seasonally closed from Oct 14th through June 16th. This trail features a beautiful ride through the woods on a lesser traveled trail. Please use caution when stopping in the…
Learn more about Smiths Grassy Offshoot
Total Miles
1.6
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa / Sp

Elk Meadows - Packers Meadows

This is an enjoyable route that can be completed in 1-2 hours. The route consists of Forest Service roads that will take you through parts of Lolo and Clearwater National forests and is usually free…
Learn more about Elk Meadows - Packers Meadows
Total Miles
30.8
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su

Skyline

This scenic, narrow trail twists its way through the trees. There are a few pullouts here and there to pass oncoming traffic and lots of evidence of tree cutting. Be prepared to clear trees if…
Learn more about Skyline
Total Miles
4.8
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

High Road

The name says it all this road runs up to one of the higher ones in the area. There are incredible vistas and decent dispersed camping spots--a few offshoot trails and a narrow section closer…
Learn more about High Road
Total Miles
3.2
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Gold Creek Trail

Easy dirt trail safe for most 4WD and 2WD vehicles all the way to the Gold Creek Campground. The trail continues past the Gold Creek campground but turns into 4WD high clearance only. The trail…
Learn more about Gold Creek Trail
Total Miles
6.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa

Middle Fork Schwartz

This ridge road blasts across the top of the ridge over the Yukon Saddle. It has long straight always with epic views, a dense forest section, an old burned-out section that's regrowing well, and a…
Learn more about Middle Fork Schwartz
Total Miles
5.1
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su

West Holloman Schwartz

This rim road cruises along the top of the hills and has epic views around almost every corner as it twists and turns its way to the Holoman Saddle. There are a few different decent-sized…
Learn more about West Holloman Schwartz
Total Miles
4.6
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp

Upper Skyline to Cinnabar Saddle

This easy ridge road has impressive views of the Bitterroot Valley as it twists its way in and out of the trees. Previous tree clearing makes for a nice open ride. There are a few…
Learn more about Upper Skyline to Cinnabar Saddle
Total Miles
5.3
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp