Montana • Gallatin Range • Fall 2017
Little Bear:Three Trips, One Fall
Bozeman’s backyard 4x4 road: a quiet lake in August, a smoky ridgetop camp in September and snow three weeks later.
Close to Home
You don’t have to drive far from Bozeman to get into the mountains. Little Bear Road starts off Highway 191 south of Gallatin Gateway and climbs into the north end of the Gallatin Range. In the fall of 2017, I went up three times in my FJ Cruiser, with Finn, my first griffon, riding along.
The Road
From Bozeman, the Forest Service says to head toward Four Corners, then south on Highway 191 for about 14 miles to Little Bear Road, and from there it’s roughly 11 miles of forest roads to the Little Bear Cabin. TrailsOffroad describes it as easy at first, graded dirt you can drive in a two-wheel-drive car when it’s dry, getting narrower, rockier and muddier as you climb, where a 4x4 is highly recommended.
The Little Bear Cabin itself is a Forest Service rental built in 1938 on a grassy knoll with views of the Gallatin Valley and the Bridgers. Little Bear Road is closed to wheeled vehicles from January 1 through June 15.
August: The Lake
The first trip was a quiet morning at a mountain lake, glassy water, early light and Finn on a rock.
September: Smoke on the Ridge
Labor Day weekend, I camped on a ridgetop with the rooftop tent, a folding table and a view down into the valley. You could barely see it. 2017 was a brutal fire year in Montana. Wikipedia’s summary puts it at nearly 1.3 million acres burned by late September, after the hottest and driest June through August on record for the state. The smoke turned the sun into an orange coin and the sunset into a pink smear.
Three Weeks Later: Snow
By the end of September, the smoke was gone and the snow had arrived. Same road, totally different place: fresh snow on the trees, a white two-track and fog sitting on the ridge.
Know Before You Go
Season. Little Bear Road is closed to wheeled vehicles January 1 through June 15. Fall can bring smoke one week and snow the next.
Vehicle. The lower road is easy when dry. Up high, bring a 4x4 and good tires, especially when it’s wet.
Stay longer. The Little Bear Cabin is bookable on recreation.gov.
For more on wheeling in the white stuff, read Snow Wheeling in Montana.
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