Phil's Fall 2016 ATV Riding

This year Phil took off for 10 days of ATV riding in Southwest Montana.
He started in the Butte/Pipestone area, camping at 6500 ft at Homestake Pass exit off I-90.
The weather turned out to be great most of the trip.
The area is one of the most popular ATV areas in the state, pulling visitors from all over the state.
Beaverhead-Deerlodge Nat Forest, Bureau of Land Management and the Friends Of Pipestone
have worked hard together to make this such a great recreational area.
The area is known for its Geologic Formations, East Slope scenery and trees,
Old Gold mines, and the sandy soil that helps to make smooth mudless riding.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.
Click here for Ringing Rocks video Then back arrow to return here.

After several days of riding Pipestone, Phil moved on to Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park.
He camped there at the quite, modern campgrounds and also toured the Caverns.

..

.

From there Phil drove south to past Earthquake Lake, where, during a major earthquake in 1959,
half of a mountain cascaded down into a valley blocking Madison River and covering part of a crowded campgrounds.

From there he drove on to the Targee Pass area, , where he camped (7 miles west of West Yellowstone).
There are nice camping spots in the Deerlodge Gallatian National Forest right under Loinhead Mounatian.
There is also a nice rustic KOA campgrounds/Super 8 Motel in that exact same area.


There is a great ATV loop trail that leads up over 8800 ft level of Lionhead mountain with spectaclar views.
It starts 1/4 mile south of the camp on FSR 1791. Then trail 114 Lionhead Ridge Road,
then down on 217 (the steep sharp switchbacks) to FSR 1735 back to camp (15 miles).
.

.

.

Next, Phil headed into Yellowstone National Park

.

.

.

.

Finally, Phil headed back out to ATV country. He drove back out to West Yellowstone and north 30 miles to Taylor fork road (#134).
Then he drove in 4 miles (past some nice campsites by the river) to Wapiti Cr Rd #2522, where he unloaded at a nice campsite.
Then he rode in 2 miles south to ATV trail 68 (Oil Well Road).
This ATV only road (10.2 mile each way) goes along a ridge top through varying old growth forests and open fields to 9300 ft.
The whole way is dotted with gorgeous views of the 11,000 ft rugged mountains of the Metcalf Wilderness Area.

.

.

.