Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Lakeside, Montana

Spectacular views of Flathead Lake and Kalispell. Smooth, well maintained, and easy going. No obstacles, but the first two miles are residential, and you may run into logging operations depending on the time of day.…
Learn more about Cramer Creek to Patrick Creek

This is a fun, easy drive with great views of the valley. The trail is well maintained and there are no obstacles. This route begins in Lakeside, and leads to a scenic overlook of the…
Learn more about Lakeside to Blacktail

Easy, maintained scenic drive. The first few miles from Foys Canyon Road are residential. There are plenty of scenic pull-offs to enjoy, and the road provides access to the Foys-to-Blacktail hiking/biking trail. Emmons Creek intersects…
Learn more about Patrick Creek to Emmons Creek

This is a really fun loop with several access points to the Wild Bill OHV Recreation Trail. The main trailhead has a bathroom and a large parking area for trailers. Access to Mudhole Junction, Packrat…
Learn more about Wild Bill Creek/Firewood Trail to Truman Creek

This well-graded access route heads up into the hills and begins in the residential land below. The route is wide and bumpy, with washboard and loose gravel sections. The posted speed is 20 while in…
Learn more about Truman Creek Road

This is a main access trail for The Playground and other obstacles in the Wild Bill OHV system. Overall the trail is a straightforward gravel trail with optional extreme challenges. These manmade challenges range from…
Learn more about Wild Bill Eagle Mountain to The Playground

This route begins off the Wild Bill Eagle Mountain trail to the south at Packrat Junction. Overall this is a smooth narrow well-graded trail. It provides easy access to the Mudhole Rendevous Point and Wild…
Learn more about Firewood

This mostly graded trail begins at the main staging area for the Wild Bill OHV area. There's plenty of parking for longer rigs and trailers at the staging area and a very informative kiosk with…
Learn more about Wild Bill Creek

This well-maintained wide route is a great access road to get to the main staging area for the Wild Bill OHV Trail network. The trail is decently graded, with only a few minor potholes and…
Learn more about Wild Bill OHV Trailhead

This nice out-and-back trail heads from the main Wild Bill OHV staging area and pit toilets up the hill to the Wild Bill Saddle. Sections of the forest through here are dense, while others are…
Learn more about Wild Bill Saddle

Fun, easy-going trail with great views of the Swan Valley and Swan mountain range! No major obstacles and well kept, with plenty of hiking and epic mountain biking trails and a small pond along the…
Learn more about Mission Divide/Crane Mtn Road

This nicely graded two-track heads deeper into the woods and is a bit more remote. Some excellent sections of partially cleared forest provide outstanding views for miles and miles. If you are lucky, you will…
Learn more about Mount Creek

This narrow two-track trail is an out-and-back. It heads down the South Side Saddle to the Low Side Saddle, and it's the more traveled of the trails on this finger. This trail is a little…
Learn more about Low Side Saddle

This is fun, easy trail with great views of the Flathead Valley. The road is maintained and accessible during late spring, summer and fall. There are several trailheads for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and…
Learn more about Trail Creek

This is a quick, scenic drive with several trailheads for hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking and dirt bikes. The road is well maintained with no real obstacles except potholes and shallow ruts. You'll find several…
Learn more about Peter's Ridge Road

This does not take you to Strawberry Lake, but rather the trailhead to hike into the lake. The trail is narrow, rocky, and steep in some sections. There was a wide variety of cars and…
Learn more about Strawberry Lake Trail

Fun, scenic trail that leads to epic hiking. Road is rough and narrow, but still passable with most 2wd cars. Expect potholes, washboard, and steep sections. You'll arrive at the Camp Misery trailhead about 30…
Learn more about Jewel Basin Road

The Mount Creek-Potter Creek Road is an 8.6-mile, single-lane dirt road that ascends Mount Haskell to 6,253 feet. Beginning at Browns Meadow Road, it climbs 1,767 feet as it winds through the Flathead National Forest,…
Learn more about Mount Creek Potter Creek Road 2984

Haskill Divide is a narrow gravel road that climbs in elevation to an incredible overlook of Lake Rogers in Flathead National Forest. From the turn off of Haskill Divide it is 6.5 miles to the…
Learn more about Haskill Divide

This is an amazing trail that begins at the north end of Whitefish Lake and meanders through Stillwater State Forest, Flathead National Forest, past Upper Whitefish Lake and up to Red Meadow Lake. The trail…
Learn more about Red Meadow Creek

Hell Roaring Canyon is a moderately easy SxS trail in Montana's Mission Mountains. It begins as a smooth logging road before narrowing into a rugged path that climbs toward a rockslide area. The route offers…
Learn more about Hell Roaring Canyon

The route might be dusty or damp depending on the weather. Snow does make it impassable if you go too early in the spring. Part of this trail passes through some old fire growth. Cell…
Learn more about Niarada to Irvine Flats

This is a scenic drive down the west side of Hungry Horse Reservoir. There are plenty of developed and primitive camping spots, and lake access points everywhere. The road is maintained, and paved for the…
Learn more about Hungry Horse Reservoir - West

This is a well-maintained dirt road. This trail starts out in a residential area and ends in the woods. It is a seasonal trail as there is a gate 3/4 of the way up the…
Learn more about Starlite

This off-road trail is typically one lane in most spots. It is an easy trail with curves and small hills. There are a few dispersed campsites in the area. This trail is Open year-round. You…
Learn more about Lost Thin

This is a fun, easy-going trail that twists and turns through the trees with limited views of the Mission Valley and Flathead Lake. Some areas do have a fair share of potholes and loose rocks,…
Learn more about Minesinger to Hidden Lake Pt. 2

The trail is two vehicles wide in most spots. Crosses over several bridges and along a river that pours into Tally Lake. This scenic trail is the main route to Tally Lake Campground and other…
Learn more about Tally Lake

Cedar Ridge NF-1690 is an easy 4x4 trail located north of Columbia Falls, Montana, and is accessed directly from N Fork Road. The gravel surface is generally smooth, with a few potholes and occasional standing…
Learn more about Cedar Ridge NF-1690

This is a fun, easy-going trail that twists and turns through the trees with limited views of the Mission Valley and Flathead Lake. Some areas do have a fair share of potholes and loose rocks,…
Learn more about Minesinger to Hidden Lake Pt.1

This is an easy, scenic drive down the east side of Hungry Horse Reservoir. Many developed and primitive camping spots, with numerous lake access points and lots of hiking trails. This is considered the higher-traffic…
Learn more about Hungry Horse Reservoir - East