Birch Creek Road (FS 98) to MP 11.905 near Dillon, Montana | Trail Guide

MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0025

Birch Creek Road (FS 98) to MP 11.905

Birch Creek Road from I-15 Exit 74 · ends before the MVUM gap · Pioneer Mountains · Dillon Ranger District, Montana

3/10AGF Difficulty · Easy · provisional (Hiltz, secondary); AGF has not driven it

11.905 MIOne way on FS 98, MP 0 to MP 11.905 (MVUM mileposts)

TURN BACK AT MP 11.905MVUM gap MP 11.905–12.489 and Pear Lake not included

NO OHVS >50 IN.FS 98: highway vehicles, ATVs, motorcycles (2023 MVUM data copy, not FS-hosted)

THIS GUIDE ENDS AT FS 98 MP 11.905: TURN BACK THERE. FS 98 HAS A 0.58-MILE GAP ON THE MVUM (MP 11.905–12.489), AND ROUTES NOT SHOWN ON THE MVUM ARE CLOSED TO MOTOR VEHICLES. THE GAP, THE ROAD BEYOND IT AND PEAR LAKE ARE NOT INCLUDED. THE TORREY MOUNTAIN RECOMMENDED WILDERNESS BOUNDARY FOLLOWS PEAR LAKE'S NORTHERN SHORELINE. A 2023 MVUM data copy (not FS-hosted) lists FS 98 Birch Creek as "Special Designation, Yearlong" from MP 0 to 11.905 and from MP 12.489 to 13.31: open to highway vehicles, ATVs and motorcycles; OHVs wider than 50 inches are not listed (2026 MVUM: verify). MP 11.905–12.489 has no MVUM row. The FS road inventory (EDW, queried Oct. 19, 2026) lists FS 98 Birch Creek from MP 0 to 13.31, including the gap, but shows no open-use designation, and being in the inventory is not a designation for motor vehicles. Do not drive the gap until the Dillon Ranger District (406-683-3900) confirms it. The turnaround at MP 11.905 (about 45.4273, -112.9724) is computed from FS road inventory geometry and is on FS land per FS ownership data; it is not field-checked, and room to turn there: verify. B-D order 01020025-02 prohibits motor vehicles inside the Torrey Mountain Recommended Wilderness, whose boundary follows "the northern shorelines of Boot and Pear Lakes"; which side of it the lake and road end fall on: verify. Whether the MP 11.905 turnaround and FS 98 below it are outside the Torrey Mountain Recommended Wilderness (where B-D order 01020025-02 prohibits motor vehicles): verify with the Dillon Ranger District (406-683-3900). Hiltz (secondary) gives open dates of May 16–Dec. 1, which conflicts with the yearlong MVUM data copy: verify. The lower county road crosses State Trust and private land: stay on the road. Official closures, posted signs and private property override this guide. Read Know Before You Go.

NO RECORD OF AGF DRIVING BIRCH CREEK ROAD. THE 3/10 IS A PROVISIONAL ESTIMATE FROM SECONDARY SOURCES. No record of AGF driving this route (AGF Verified: NO). The closest AGF track is about 5 miles from Pear Lake. Everything here comes from official sources, plus clearly labeled secondary sources. AGF will re-rate it after an AGF run.

WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Birch Creek Road (FS 98) to MP 11.905

From I-15 Exit 74, Birch Creek Road (FS 98) from MP 0 to MP 11.905, about 11.9 miles one way (MVUM mileposts), and back the same way. The lower county road crosses State Trust and private land; where FS 98 MP 0 sits relative to Exit 74: verify. FS 98 MP 0–7.78 is maintenance level 4, and MP 7.78–11.905 (about 4.1 miles) is maintenance level 2 (2023 MVUM data copy). Hiltz (secondary) gives about 5.3 miles one way for the primitive section to Pear Lake; the part beyond MP 11.905 is not included.

NOT INCLUDED: FS 98 beyond MP 11.905 (the MVUM gap MP 11.905–12.489 and the road beyond it to MP 13.31), Pear Lake, anything inside the Recommended Wilderness, side spurs (FS 98A, 98C), and State Trust and private land beside the lower road.

WHY 3/10

Easy · Provisional (Not Driven by AGF)

AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. Hiltz (secondary, Class 2.5) writes, "I used 4-Low several times due to the steepness of a couple of sections, but they were doable in 4-Hi," and, "The water crossing can be a little deep during spring runoff." Hiltz describes the road to Pear Lake, including the part beyond MP 11.905 that this guide excludes; which of those sections fall inside this guide: verify. The 3/10 is provisional: it rests on this secondary account alone, and AGF has not driven the route. AGF will re-rate it after an AGF run.

Terrain scores and rig requirements: verify (AGF has not driven this route).

Snow, mud, runoff, deadfall and fire are condition changes, not part of the base rating.

ROUTE & MAP

Getting There

From I-15 Exit 74, follow Birch Creek Road (FS 98) to MP 11.905, about 45.4273, -112.9724 (computed from FS road inventory geometry; FS land per FS ownership data; not field-checked), and return the way you came. Do not continue past MP 11.905: MP 11.905–12.489 is not on the MVUM, and routes not shown on the MVUM are closed to motor vehicles. The lower county road crosses State Trust and private land: stay on the road. Confirm the 2026 MVUM with the Dillon Ranger District (406-683-3900) before you go.

LOADING MAP…

Beaverhead-Deerlodge alerts →Recommended wilderness order →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks the turnaround at FS 98 MP 11.905, about 45.4273, -112.9724 (computed from FS road inventory geometry; FS land per FS ownership data; not field-checked), where this guide ends. The 0.58-mile MVUM gap (MP 11.905–12.489), the road beyond it and Pear Lake are NOT included; routes not shown on the MVUM are closed to motor vehicles. No downloadable track is published: AGF has not driven this route.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Terrain scores and rig requirements: verify (AGF has not driven this route).

FS 98 allows highway vehicles, ATVs and motorcycles; OHVs wider than 50 inches are not listed (2023 MVUM data copy, not FS-hosted). Hiltz (secondary) used low range on steep sections. Rig guidance: verify (AGF has not driven this route).

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season: FS 98 yearlong on the 2023 MVUM data copy (not FS-hosted); Hiltz says May 16–Dec. 1 (conflict): verify
Typical trip: Verify
Camping: Verify; never on State Trust or private land
Trailer parking: Verify
Turnaround: FS 98 MP 11.905, about 45.4273, -112.9724 (computed; not field-checked); room to turn: verify

Bear country: the Beaverhead-Deerlodge annual food storage order applies Mar. 1–Dec. 1 on National Forest land. Store food bear-safe.
Contacts: Dillon Ranger District (406-683-3900).

AGF Live: seasonal notices and weather, fire and road information near the pin appear here when the site script runs. Otherwise, check hunting season dates with Montana FWP and conditions on Know Before You Go.

SOURCES

Sources & Review

FS MVUM roads, 2023 copy (ArcGIS Online) (2023 MVUM data copy (not FS-hosted); verify the current MVUM; single-ID query Oct. 15, 2026: FS 98 BIRCH CREEK MP 0–7.78 (ML4), 7.78–11.905 and 12.489–13.3121 (ML2), Special Designation yearlong; no row MP 11.905–12.489)
FS EDW RoadBasic (live) (FS road inventory (EDW, queried Oct. 19, 2026): FS 98 BIRCH CREEK MP 0–7.78 and 7.78–13.3121 in layer 1 (including MP 11.905–12.489), no open-use designation; an inventory listing is not a motor-vehicle designation; spurs 98A and 98C present; MP 11.905 turnaround computed on the layer-1 geometry (Oct. 20, 2026): about 45.4273, -112.9724, not field-checked)
FS EDW Basic Ownership (official; FS land at the MP 11.905 turnaround (Oct. 20, 2026))
B-D NF order 01020025-02: recommended wilderness prohibitions (official; Mar. 28, 2025–Mar. 28, 2028; Torrey Mountain boundary "Following the northern shorelines of Boot and Pear Lakes")
Montana Overland & 4x4 Adventures (Richard Hiltz): Birch Creek Road to Pear Lake (secondary; Class 2.5; May 16–Dec. 1 open dates (conflict); describes the road to Pear Lake, beyond this guide)
MyTopo: Pear Lake (USGS GNIS 788728) (secondary rendering of GNIS; Pear Lake is beyond this guide)
BLM National SMA (limited scale) (federal land-status data, generalized; misses small parcels)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF alerts (read Oct. 14, 2026; fire danger Moderate)
Montana FWP: Hunting seasons (2026 deer/elk archery Sept. 5–Oct. 18; youth deer Oct. 15–16; general Oct. 24–Nov. 29)

Last reviewed Oct. 20, 2026. This guide ends at FS 98 MP 11.905. The 0.58-mile MVUM gap (MP 11.905–12.489), the road beyond it and Pear Lake are not included, and routes not shown on the MVUM are closed to motor vehicles. FS 98's designation comes from a 2023 MVUM data copy (not FS-hosted): verify the current MVUM. The Torrey Mountain Recommended Wilderness boundary follows Pear Lake's northern shoreline, and whether the turnaround and FS 98 below it are outside it: verify with the Dillon Ranger District. There is no record of AGF driving Birch Creek Road. The 3/10 is provisional, from secondary sources.

AGF ratings describe normal, dry-condition difficulty. They do not mean a route is legal, open or passable today. Found an error, a closure or a locked gate? Report it or suggest a trail.