Magruder Corridor Ride - Montana Back Roads 4x4

Magruder Corridor Ride
August 3, 2014
We started the trip at 7 a.m. from the Conoco station at the corner of Highways 12 and 93 in Lolo,
Montana. Participants included Bruce Erickson in a black TJ Wrangler; Jim Younkin in a black Toyota FJ;
Jennifer and Steve Slagle in a red Dodge pickup; Justin, Amanda, Madison, and Jack Kirkbridge in a red JK
Wrangler; Jeff Dobie in a white JK Wrangler; and Ed Jones in a blue classic Comanche Chief pickup.
Being mostly a bunch of old guys on a long trip, we agreed to stop about every hour or so for a stretch,
some gabbing, and to drain filtered coffee.
Taking a break at the last civilized restroom before heading up Falls Point Road to Elk City
We traveled Highway 12 up Lolo Creek in Montana and down the Lochsa River in Idaho to Lowell, Idaho.
We followed FSR 223 up the Selway River to Selway Falls, then took Falls Point Road (FSR 443) up and
over the ridge towards Elk City. The road is fairly steep and winding. There were some gullies washed in
the road, and some sections where the fill slope was failing. At about the eight mile mark, we found
ourselves on the wrong side of a closed Forest Service gate. “Bummer” or words to that effect. We
talked about several options: 1) go back down to the Selway Road and several miles back to O’Hara
Creek Road to Elk City, 2) drive around the gate as many previous vehicles did – risking damage to the
full-size pickup in the group, 3) unbolt the hinges to open the gate, or 4) pick up the end of the gate
enough to slip the locked chain off the post. It took three guys, but the end of the gate was lifted
enough to slip the chain, drive through, and lock it up again. I notified the District Ranger the next day.
He said the gate at the bottom was supposed to be locked for public safety until they could get the road
repaired, and he appreciated the notification.
We followed the signs and directions in Worthys’ 4x4 Routes of Western Montana to Elk City, Idaho, and
arrived there about noon Mountain Time (11 local time). We topped off the fuel tanks at the only gas
station in town, and cycled through the single restroom. We headed up the Red River road (FSR 222) a
few minutes to a wide spot in the road for lunch along the river.
After lunch, we headed up the paved road toward Red River, then we turned off on the gravel road
leading to the Magruder Corridor. The road is surfaced with gravel to about the 14 Mile trailhead to
facilitate log truck traffic. After the 14 Mile trailhead, the Magruder corridor is primarily native surface
road – sometimes nice and some places rocky. We turned off on the 1.5 mile 4x4 road to Burnt Knob
Lookout at about 4 p.m. Mountain Time, and we spent some time checking out the old cabin and the
tremendous view.
Burnt Knob Lookout and the small parking area
We left Burnt Knob and continued east along the Magruder Corridor road. The scenery from the Green
Mountain turnoff several miles west of Burnt Knob to Observation Point east of Salmon Mountain is
fantastic. What was a tree-lined tunnel with just a few glimpses to distant ridges thirty years ago is now
mostly open vistas caused by multiple wildfires over the intervening years. Early season and late season
traveler’s should bring a saw or ax because there are thousands of older dead trees just waiting for the
most inopportune time to fall on the road.
The roughest section of the road is probably between Dry Saddle and Salmon Mountain. Native surface
in that area means more cobble than dirt on the road. There is road work starting at Salmon Mountain
and heading west. Not sure what they are doing, but the road has a nice dirt surface instead of rock
cobble in that section. We had aired down back at Red River in anticipation of several hours of low
speed dirt and rock road, so the ride was reasonably comfortable.
We stopped at Gold Pan Lake by Salmon Mountain for the view and the traditional old men activities
before the push to the Idaho/Montana border.
Taking a break at Gold Pan Lake
From Gold Pan Lake we pushed east past Observation Point and the Selway River to the Idaho/Montana
border at Nez Perce Pass. Tires were aired up, goodbyes were said, and we headed to our respective
homes. I passed through Missoula about 10:30 p.m., so I would estimate about 16 hours to make the
loop taking time to stop for breaks.
Bruce Erickson
PS: Thanks to Daniel Sanders from Lewiston, Idaho, for contacting me to offer his help in case we had
any mechanical breakdowns along the way! It is comforting to have a relatively local contact in case of
problems.