Beginner Off-Road Trails Near Stevensville, Montana
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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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Gash Creek
Most of the trail up is a smooth easy graded road and would be no issue for any vehicle but it has been trimmed on either side of the road so it would be fine… Learn more about Gash Creek
Total Miles
6.7
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Gash Sweathouse Face Trail
Easy dirt forest road, less traveled and pretty overgrown. No problem for SxS and smaller vehicles. Small trucks and small 4x4 SUVs would make it but might incur scratches. Larger vehicles would need to do… Learn more about Gash Sweathouse Face Trail
Total Miles
2.4
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
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
Bear Creek Overlook Trail
A well-maintained dirt road that is easily driven or accessible by all types of vehicles including 2WD passenger cars. The first half of the trail is a nice winding drive through tall pine trees the… Learn more about Bear Creek Overlook Trail
Total Miles
5.5
Tech Rating
1
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Lower Willow St Clair
Easy little forest road that begins in a housing area and winds through private property until you reach the forest. There's a small creek alongside the road and a few pullouts. Saw one dispersed camping… Learn more about Lower Willow St Clair
Total Miles
4
Tech Rating
1
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Cow Creek Road and Shiefman Hiking Trail
Generally, this is an easy dirt road that consists of multiple switchbacks and some decent elevation climbs. It begins in a neighborhood where it is asked to please drive slowly, and after, it turns into… Learn more about Cow Creek Road and Shiefman Hiking Trail
Total Miles
5.3
Tech Rating
3
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
Mill Creek Trailhead
A very short out and back it's less than a mile Easily .8, most of it is through a neighborhood with private homes. The signage does ask that you stay on the main road. At… Learn more about Mill Creek Trailhead
Total Miles
0.7
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Fa / Su / Sp
Sawmill Ridge Run
This dirt trail connects up Sawmill Saddle and Ambrose, running across the top of some of the mountains in the Sapphire range. It is a fun twisty trail with lots of tall trees. It opens… Learn more about Sawmill Ridge Run
Total Miles
12.2
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Su / Fa
Willow Mountain to Burnt Fork Lake Hiking trail
Easy graded narrow trail. Lots of pullouts to pass other drivers; some of the corners are steeper with looser gravel. Be alert for people collecting firewood and their trucks parked right in the road as… Learn more about Willow Mountain to Burnt Fork Lake Hiking trail
Total Miles
19.1
Tech Rating
2
Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa
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
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