Posted on 08/19/2007 3:23:42 PM PDT by 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:
You are weclome my FRiend. For the last four years I have been blessed to work 4 ten day shifts. Best work schedule I ever worked. Each weekend is a three day weekend, and then a four day weekend on holidays. Allows for these type trips.
Great story, great pics.
I see you had to pull out the manual for the spare...!
Awesome, thanks for sharing with us, Jeff!
Mighty purty country you folks got up ther’.
Awsome pictures and story on the linked pages. Freepmail on the way.
The gardens we grew in five years in Fairbanks, have yet to be eclipsed by anything we’ve done in the lower 48. Until our arrival in SD, we lived longer there than we had anywhere else previously. Start the snow machine (snowmobile) and go, instant wilderness. Four hundred miles to anywhere, we found about the same situation in South Dakota, except for the gardening, not near as good, and not quite the instant wilderness. Need to trailer your toys.
Thanks Jeff, great report and pics. Definately a two spare deal. BTW I did notice the precarious jack placement above the one removing the spare. Probably wouldn’t have hurt too much depending on where it landed. LOL.
Anyhow, it got done and we were on our way.
Thanks guys! Hope you enjoyed the pics and the tale. It was a great experience and we will be going back for a longer stay at some point in the future.
God's speed my FRiend.
Yes...I talked to him about that. Showed him the pic too. Believe me...it would have raised a knot for sure. Jared is a good boy (a young man now), and he inisisted on doing it for his Dad. You learn best by experience, though I surely wanted (and in some cases tried) to “show him how it was done”.
Started out 4 lane paved with curbs and markers.
Then it was 2 lane, paved, with curbs.
Then the curbs went away.
Then it was 1 lane paved.
Then 1 lane gravel.
Then 1 lane dirt.
Then two ruts.....
We knew we might be in trouble when the two ruts opened up into a blank meadow. With a gap in the trees at the other side as the only other way out.
Pretty soon though, two more ruts showed up.
Then a dirt road.
Then a gravel road. Then pavement again.
When we started meeting people coming the other way to cut firewood in their 4-wheel drive pickups and jeeps, we knew we were back in civilization.....
Then it
Then it WHAT?!
Thanks, Jeff! This thread and pics provided a truly uplifting respite from the daily grind!
I can appreciate the experience. Pretty neat when they jump in willing to help. Sometimes even a little direction along the way can spoil the event for them. Actually I thought it was you under the truck. Ours are all on their own, one in heaven and one in Idaho working at INL, and now we get to spoil the grandchildren.
BUMP for after work reading :)
This road is like that. In the middle of it you are a good 70 miles either way from the nearest services of any consequence.
Thank you! That was the whole hope and intenet. Hope more people get a chance to see the wilderness granduer and beauty we still have over here.
Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think. It was a great experience for me and my son.
True: At least this time, it was late-August in clear weather.
In winter? The snow would have (did!) stop even Lewis & Clark, the Donner Party, Fremont and Kit Carson from walking across those mountains!
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