Idaho's Stunning Magruder Corridor Wilderness Road

JEFFHEAD.COM ^ | 19-Aug-2007 | Jeff Head

[Jeff Head]

In the mid 1990s, while living in southwest Montana, I did a lot of hunting and exploring around the mountains in the area. This included those ranges bordering the Beaverhead, Ruby, Red Rock, and Big Hole Rivers. I also got up on the Bitteroot and over the mountains onto the Selway which is where this web page and story has its origins. I learned of a road out of Darby, Montana that followed the Nez Perce indian trail over the monuntains into Idaho, which conected to a primitive road that continued across the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Chuirch - River of no Return Wilderness areas over near Elk City, Idaho. I decided I wanted to travel this road, so I gathered up my gear and told my wife where I was going and started off. I got over to the Selway River only to find the wilderness road closed. This was during the Clinton administration and there were quite a lot of such road closures during that era.

Fast forward to July of this year (2007). Now living in southwest Idaho, I was recently asked by a friend if I had ever taken the Magruder Corridor Road in Idaho. I told him did not know the road, but when he described it coming off of the Elk City road and going over to Montana across the Selway, I immediately thought of my failed attempt twelve years earlier. It is the same road. This web page is dedicated to the two day trip that my 17 year old son and I made on July 21st and 22nd.

The Magruder Road itself, FS no. 468, runs from just south of the old Red River Ranger Station in Idaho, over to Darby, Montana. About 120 miles of no services whatsoever. The actual wilderness road is about 90 miles, starting from FS No. 223 just south of the old Red River Ranger Station, to the start of pavement climbing away from the Selway River into the Bitterroot Mountains. This pavement is shortlived, maybe ten miles, and then reverts back to gravel, but from that point on it is in very good shape and plenty wide enough for two cars.

The wilderness road is a rough, one lane road, with some parts primitive, but nothing that any well maintained four wheel drive vehicle with good tires and suspension cannot handle. The spurs, or side roads, however, are very primitive where good clearance, good tires, and a heavier frame are required for the four wheel low driving. Carry a good spare on this trip.

CLICK HERE FOR THE ENTIRE TRIP REPORT INCLUDING 90 STUNNING PHOTOS I TOOK

A few examples of the photographs from this trip follow:

[RightWingMama]

I answered your post, but it disappeared. So, I’ll try again. I have heard the same about Ada county, although that is where my family lives. We would rather live in a smaller community in Southwest Idaho. We are not your typical Californians moving to a smaller state. We don’t have boatloads of money and will probably have a small mortgage, so we have to be careful.

Please put me on your Idaho ping list. Thanks.

[GOP_Raider]

You’ve now been added.

[Jeff Head]

Nope, that's a little too far south. The road runs across the area further to the north. Here's the Long and Lat, and a Sat pic from Google Earth of the correct location.

45.70162 N 114.990258 W

[Jeff Head]

Now you’re talking! Amazing technology.

[Jeff Head]

Actually, both of those (yours and mine) are slightly off. The actual lookout is on the highest portion of that ridge, slightly North and West of the poins we gave.

The 3D effect shows it pretty well on Google Earth.

[Travis McGee]

Color me green with envy! THAT is the LIFE!

[Jeff Head]

Well, next time you get up this way...if its in the summer, come on by and we'll go take this route together bro. You would never regret it. If its in the winter, there are a dozen other, equally scenic places we can get to within a few hours of here.

Number three out yet?

[Cindy]

Thank you Jeff.

I might take you up on that offer someday.

[B Knotts]

A really nice report, and great pictures! I bet that will give your son some great memories.

[Uncle Miltie]

Top of the world to you! Excellent refreshment after the stupid weekend I just had.

[SuperLuminal]

Wilderness btt

[Centurion2000]

I am constantly amazed.. You could live a lifetime here and not see it all.. Wyoming, Montana and Idaho are wonderful but just wet the hunger for wilderness..

Just got back from driving from Dallas to Salem Oregon. Took the i-80 corridor through Wyoming and then 84 into Oregon ... OMG that was beautiful.

Of course on the way back I cut across Oregon into northern Nevada. Passed through Ely Nevada and cut across Utah to link up with I-70 going east .... a little slower but GORGEOUS country.

Took 1600 pictures along the way and got a brand new respect for road builders. Their work will last centuries.

[Alamo-Girl]

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing!

[Hostage]

Did you have cell phone coverage? If not, what emergency communications are available? Thanks for the pictures.

[SuziQ]

Those pictures are great. The scenery is stunning! We took our kids and SirKit’s brother out to Montana on vacation a few years ago. We stayed up in Big Sky Mountain Village, and went down into Bozeman and into Yellowstone on day trips. We loved the wide open spaces.

[editor-surveyor]

Thanks for posting this. You must be one of the people that God blessed with an eight day week! I’ll have to add this to my huge and growing list of places to go.

[Jeff Head]

No cell phone coverage, and short of a SAT phone or a radio tuned to one of e the National Forest Service or other agency frequencies, there is no emergency communications short of going for help.

[Jeff Head]

Thanks. We have lots of great memories like this...always glad and priveleged to add more for futures and posterity sake.

[Jeff Head]

You are welcome!

[Jeff Head]

When we lived over in Dillon, Montana we got over into the Yellowstone Country quite often...the Centinnial Valley and Henryys Lake are other, very beautiful and even more remote areas that border that country to the west.