Arizona to Montana and back

[Clunky]

My wife and I are heading out for about 12 days. Our only "locked in" locations are Mccall ID, Darby MT, and Flathead lake. Here's a look at our preliminary route:

Arizona - Montana - Arizona

We plan to find dispersed camping spots whenever possible. www.Freecampsites.net looks like a good resource, does anyone here have experience using that site?

Please let me know your ideas for alternate routes and "must see" places. Thanks in advance!

 

[britz]

EDIT- my tablet wigged out and showed a Moscow route, sorry about that.

Seems a natural to take the Magruder Corridor from Elk City to Darby, but it's an adventure! But at a minimum, I'd highly recommend not missing Hwy 12 between Kooskia and Lolo as opposed to heading up the 95 at Grangeville.

 

[Clunky]

Ah, I was wondering if there was a way to cut through there! Looks awesome, not sure about doing it without another rig along, but might have to do it.

 

[britz]

We

Ah, I was wondering if there was a way to cut through there! Looks awesome, not sure about doing it without another rig along, but might have to do it.

It's open now, but not for the faint of heart. Weather can change on a dime and most go in groups. I'd recommend 2 days minimum.

We're supposed to go around the 22nd.

 

[britz]

The trip from Darby across towards Dillon is nice if you want to stay off the freeway a bit more, and there's also the Skalkaho Pass, which you could enter around Hamilton. http://www.visitmt.com/listings/general/scenic-highway/skalkaho-pass.html

 

[Clunky]

We


It's open now, but not for the faint of heart. Weather can change on a dime and most go in groups. I'd recommend 2 days minimum.

We're supposed to go around the 22nd.

"not for the faint of heart" in what way(s)? Technical off roading, something else? We'd probably do it around the 18th.

 

[britz]

Just be self sufficient. Nothing too bad, it's a narrow, rocky, dusty road with no services. Top up in Elk City, Make sure your rig is in good operating condition with good tires. It's not highly technical, but some folks get a little sketched when a rig comes from the other end and one has to back up to a wide spot in the road. Blowdown trees are common, but most should be cleared by now. Weather is random, snow flakes are not uncommon, temps will easily be in the 40s at night. Burnt Knob Lookout is a bit rocky, just put it in a low gear on the descent ( this is also where airing down will save your tires).
Bring water, a filter and some extra fuel. Take it slow, airing down will help ( i do 18psi in my JKU more for comfort) .
There's quite a few atv's and enduros on it, vehicles will start appearing as well, so it's not complete desolation; I highly recommend it. There's several campgrounds and dispersed sites along the way.

 

[Clunky]

I found this trip write up about the Magruder:

http://www.jeffhead.com/magruder/

 

[britz]

That's a good write up. Only thing I've found is the road changes every year due to slides, etc. I haven't ran it yet this year, but they repaired a major wash in the road last year , which smoothed out a few rough spots. I live in the area and my older buddies always start with "when I was your age, we would have to use pack mules only" like they were traveling with Lloyd Magruder himself, while I've known people making it through entirely in 2wd, except for Burnt Knob.

 

[ottbott89]

My wife and I are heading out for about 12 days. Our only "locked in" locations are Mccall ID, Darby MT, and Flathead lake. Here's a look at our preliminary route:

Arizona - Montana - Arizona

We plan to find dispersed camping spots whenever possible. www.Freecampsites.net looks like a good resource, does anyone here have experience using that site?

Please let me know your ideas for alternate routes and "must see" places. Thanks in advance!

You should take time to visit Glacier National Park. Drive the going to the sun road and definitely hike the Grinell Glacier Trail! Its absolutely stunning! I was there last week and wish I had more time to visit. Many Glacier is the place to get in the hiking and if you want to see wild life, spend some time in the evening in that area.

Sent from my SM-G955U using OB Talk mobile app

 

[Clunky]

We


It's open now, but not for the faint of heart. Weather can change on a dime and most go in groups. I'd recommend 2 days minimum.

We're supposed to go around the 22nd.

We didn't end up taking the Magruder - mostly because we ended up cutting the McCall leg of the trip. Did you do it? What kind of shape was it in? It's definitely on the list for next time!

 

[Clunky]

One of the more fun/interesting sights along the way was "hell's backbone bridge" in Escalante Utah. Even during the height of the Summer we were all alone and the scenery was spectacular. Here are a couple pictures:

 

[britz]

We didn't end up taking the Magruder - mostly because we ended up cutting the McCall leg of the trip. Did you do it? What kind of shape was it in? It's definitely on the list for next time!

Yes, we did the Magruder the weekend of the 22nd. It's in better shape than ever, a Cadillac could cruise on the main road now, they really smoothed it out after the big washout. We met up with an Oldsmobile who had no business up there, mostly because they were unprepared and couldn't handle an oncoming car. The Burnt Knob lookout side trip is still a good run, I did put my rig in 4wd for a short run near the top, as you could see people were spinning tires and trashing the trail. Stayed at Observation Pt. one night and Fales Flat the next. The Paradise road along the Selway is always a winner.

Just make sure you have extra fuel, sidetrips eat a lot and will give you better piece of mind.

Glad you enjoyed your trip, looks like fun !