USFS Roads Closed to Wheeled Vehicle Winter Travel

SEELEY LAKE – A local musher happened upon a vehicle that was stuck on the Cottonwood Lakes Road Jan. 7. This road has been closed to wheeled vehicles since Dec. 5.

Had Federal Officer Tyler Robinson been notified both the driver and the friend that towed out the vehicle could have been charged with a Class B Misdemeanor and faced up to $5,000 each in fines and up to six months in prison. Driving wheeled vehicles on groomed trails damages the trails costing taxpayers money and poses a serious safety risk to both the driver of the vehicle and those recreating on the trail.

This past December, the Seeley Lake Ranger District (SLRD) allowed the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) roads to remain open past the typical closure date Dec. 1. By Dec. 5 enough snow had fallen and the SLRD staff and the Seeley Lake Driftriders Snowmobile Club began the road closure process. Once the roads are closed for the winter, they go from a road designation to a trail.

Robinson said the USFS follows the Montana state definition of a snow vehicle that requires a ski or skis or track or tracks. They differ in the width requirement allowing vehicles with a width of 50 inches or less versus the state requirement of 48 inches or less in width.

“The minute we convert the roads to trails, there is a width restriction [50 inches or less],” said Robinson. “The 50 inches allows two [snow] vehicles to pass each other, snowmobiles for instance.”

Legally All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) and Utility Task Vehicles (UTV) with tracks can go off-road in the snow. However they cannot legally use or cross the trails because once they put the tracks on, they are more than 50 inches wide. The USFS can issue special use permits for tracked vehicles, such as snow coaches, to use the trails.

Most of the roads that are closed to wheeled travel in the winter are signed. However Robinson said there are a few that do not currently have signs that are closed. A few of those include the road to Spook Lake and the road on the south end of Placid Lake.

“The sign is the warning,” said Robinson. “However, [even when roads are not signed] it is the public’s responsibility to know before you go.”

All roads closed to wheeled vehicle travel can be found on the Motor Vehicle Use map available the SLRD at no cost. There is also the free Over-The-Snow Vehicle map available at the SLRD and a map of snowmobile trails and area closures put out by the Driftriders available for a $5 donation.

One of the main issues is wheeled vehicles cause ruts in the trails that, if deep enough, can be hazardous to winter trail users and require extra grooming to be fixed.

Shawn Ellinghouse is the Driftriders’ groomer chairman. He said that depending on the damage to the trail, it may take two or three passes with the groomer to get the trail back to the condition it was in prior to being rutted.

The groomer has several options to work the snow to fix a deep rut. The operator can cut it with the blade, use the tiller or for exceptionally deep ruts use the mogul master. Often times Ellinghouse said that he can fix it good enough until the next time he returns to the spot. However, in severe cases, the operators may have to come back over the trail. And that can mean other trails do not get groomed.

“When I see tire tracks I’m inevitably thinking they dug themselves a hole, they made a mess and what is it going to take for me to fix it. It costs tax payers money [in wages, diesel and machine wear-and-tear] for me to fix it,” said Ellinghouse. “Myself and Auguste [Lockwood] have done it enough, we can repair enough of it to get us through until the machine goes through again.”

Ellinghouse said ruts in the trail are a safety hazard for snowmobilers. “Some snowmobilers don’t have the skills to avoid getting themselves hurt. They can have their skis caught is a rut, they can tip over, they can wreck because they are going too fast when they hit them.” This can be applied to all other winter recreationists who use the trails including mushers, bikers and skiers.

Robinson said another issue is a stuck vehicle constricts and blocks the trail, causing a liability risk if someone were to run into it. It is also a public safety issue if someone were to get stuck and be stranded in a survival-type situation.

If someone needs to be towed out, the tower must get permission from either the SLRD District Ranger or Robinson to remove the vehicle. If they do not get permission, they are subject to the same penalties as the person who initially got stuck.

“It happens pretty frequently,” said Robinson. “The problem areas are the Cottonwood Lakes Road and the road to Morrell Falls.”

Ellinghouse said that Morrell Falls is a problem because people plug it into their GPS and there is nothing that tells them the road is closed to wheeled vehicles.

Robinson added it is also a problem in the spring because people drive into Morrell Falls in the morning when the trail is set up. When they try to leave it is soft and they sink. If the roadbed is soft and the roadbed gets torn up, that will need to be fixed costing taxpayers money.

Robinson said that while no speed limits are posted on the trails, it is reasonable and prudent. Depending on the road designation, wheeled vehicle use reopens either April 1 or May 1.

“I never want to underscore recreation. It keeps our community going from the gas station to the motels to the restaurants,” said Robinson. “We want to encourage people to come to Seeley, enjoy themselves and be safe so they can come back again.”

For more information about road closures and maps, stop in or call the SLRD, 406-677-2233.

Robinson encourages the public to call him directly if there is something unlawful happening on the National Forest System including infractions on USFS Roads, trailheads, campgrounds and in the backcountry. He can be reached at 406-210-1201. Otherwise call Missoula Dispatch, 406-829-7070, Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. and they will be able to get in touch with Robinson.