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MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0043

Daisy Pass

Daisy Pass Road from US-212 · New World mining district · Cooke City, Montana
3/10AGF Difficulty · Easy · AGF GPS reaches the pass; rating confirmed by Aaron, Oct. 12, 2026
~4–5 MIEach way from US-212, approximate; verify by odometer
JURISDICTION: VERIFYLikely Park County road 16C (county GIS shows county to the pass); confirm
COUNTY · USFSPark County · Gardiner Ranger District
WHO MANAGES THE LAST ~0.7 MILE TO DAISY PASS IS UNCONFIRMED, AND THIS GUIDE STOPS AT THE PASS. Daisy Pass Road is likely Park County road 16C: Forest Service road-inventory records name it "DAISY PASS ROAD CNTY-16C" (FHWA copy of the FS inventory), and it is not on the Gardiner Ranger District MVUM road list (2023 copy), so no MVUM class or season applies to the county road. Park County's 2025 road-maintenance map (county GIS, not the legal road book) lists Daisy Pass Rd as a county road from US-212 to Daisy Pass, "Seasonal Maintenance, not scheduled for winter maintenance," and the stretch beyond the pass as "Ownership retained, Not Maintained." Confirm county status with Park County Road & Bridge (406-222-4137). The 2017 state road framework tags the last ~0.7 mile to the pass as Forest Service, but Park County's 2025 map shows it as county road. Whether that stretch is county road or a National Forest System road is unconfirmed: verify with the Gardiner Ranger District (406-848-7375). A National Forest System road that is not on the MVUM is closed to motor vehicles: if the Forest Service says this stretch is one and it is not on the 2026 MVUM, do not drive it. Do not continue past Daisy Pass toward Lulu Pass or Lake Abundance: the county lists that stretch as not maintained, its MVUM status is unconfirmed, and it is not part of this guide. Private land and mines: the New World district historically mixed National Forest and patented private mining claims (report for the FS, 2012). The Forest Service bought what Explore Big Sky (secondary, 2023) called "the final remaining privately held mining claims within the New World Mining District," but Summitpost (secondary, undated) still says, "There are some private mining claims about; try to avoid them," and the lower road passes Cooke City residential lots (AGF research). Respect all posted land and gates, stay out of adits and reclamation sites, and do not drink untreated water from mine-affected drainages. Nearby Forest Service roads (FS 3225 Bull of the Woods Pass and FS 3228 Miller Creek, which climbs from Cooke City to Daisy Pass Road) have their own MVUM season (June 16–Dec. 1 in the 2023 copy) and are not part of this guide. FS 3223 (Henderson Mountain Road) does not leave Daisy Pass Road: it leaves the county Lulu Pass (Fisher Creek) road about 1.8 miles up from US-212 (Park County 2025 GIS; 2006 travel plan). Snow and avalanches: the corridor is a winter snowmobile route (Visit Yellowstone Country, secondary), and the Gallatin avalanche center has logged an observation titled "Natural avalanche hit Daisy Pass road" (GNFAC, secondary, Feb. 25, 2023). Do not drive it snow-covered. Expect snow now. US-212 from Cooke City (Cooke City–Pilot Creek) is open to wheeled vehicles "mid-May through early November" (NPS). NPS (updated Oct. 9, 2026) says the Beartooth Highway over the pass is scheduled to close for the season Oct. 12, 2026; that closure does not block access from Cooke City. MVUM dates and classes on this page come from a 2023 copy of the Forest Service MVUM layer plus the 2006 Gallatin travel plan, because the Forest Service's live MVUM data has no Gardiner Ranger District roads (checked Oct. 12, 2026): check them against the 2026 MVUM before you go. Official closures, posted signs and private property override this guide. Call the Gardiner Ranger District (406-848-7375) and Park County Road & Bridge (406-222-4137) before you go, and read Know Before You Go.
AGF'S GPS TRACKS REACH DAISY PASS. AARON CONFIRMED THIS 3/10 ON OCT. 12, 2026. AGF's GPS tracks from Sept. 9–10, 2017 and July 27–28, 2019 reach Daisy Pass: both pass within 0.1 km of it (AGF archive of 274 tracks, checked Oct. 12, 2026). The archive holds simplified geometry only, so it shows that AGF reached the pass, not every turn of the route. Aaron confirmed the 3/10 rating on Oct. 12, 2026 (owner statement). Access, jurisdiction and conditions in this guide come from official and clearly labeled secondary sources, not from the AGF GPS tracks. No GPX file is published.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

US-212 to Daisy Pass

Daisy Pass Road from US-212 just east of Cooke City north-northwest to Daisy Pass, and back the same way. About 4–5 miles each way, approximate: Summitpost (secondary) says Daisy Pass is "about 5 miles from the pavement," and AGF's estimate from 2017 state road geometry is about 3.8 miles (Park County's 2025 map gives about 3.85 miles). AGF's earlier listing used 5.8 miles each way: verify by odometer.

NOT INCLUDED: anything past Daisy Pass (the road toward Lulu Pass and Lake Abundance), the side roads FS 3225 and FS 3228, FS 3223 Henderson Mountain Road (off Lulu Pass Road), mine and reclamation sites, and any private land.
WHY 3/10

Easy · High-Clearance Mining Road

AGF's GPS tracks from 2017 and 2019 reach Daisy Pass, and Aaron confirmed the 3/10 on Oct. 12, 2026 (owner statement). AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. Summitpost (secondary) says you "will need high clearance" and "should not need 4wd unless conditions are wet or snowy." Expect loose rock, ruts, switchbacks and steep grades (AGF record). Henderson Mountain Road (FS 3223), a nearby road that leaves the county Lulu Pass road about 1.8 miles up from US-212 and is not part of this guide, is "a rutted, single-lane shelf road with loose gravel" (onX, secondary). No locker- or winch-level obstacle is documented. Snow, mud, runoff and avalanche debris are condition changes, not part of the base rating.

Rock
3/5
Mud
2/5
Water
1/5
Exposure
3/5
Snow
5/5
Pinstriping
2/5

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

ROUTE & MAP

Getting There

Daisy Pass Road leaves US-212 "Just east of Cooke City" (Summitpost, secondary); the 2017 state framework puts the start at about 45.0239, -109.9174. Follow it north-northwest to Daisy Pass (USGS GNIS: 45.05494, -109.95657, about 9,757 ft). Return the same way. Stay on Daisy Pass Road: the side roads are separate Forest Service roads with their own MVUM seasons. The start point, distances and the county/Forest Service split are from generalized state GIS (AGF research, approximate): verify.

LOADING MAP…
Custer Gallatin alerts →Yellowstone road status →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks Daisy Pass (USGS GNIS 782056, via MyTopo; not field-checked), where this guide ends. No downloadable track is published. AGF's GPS tracks reach the pass, but the archive holds simplified geometry only and no GPX file is released.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4
Yes — when currently legal/open
High clearance
Needed (Summitpost, secondary); recommended (AGF record)
Tires
31-inch minimum
Rear locker
No
Front locker
No
Winch
Recommended (AGF record: steep loose grades, remote snow and mud risk); no winch-level obstacle is documented
Full-size
Limited
Body damage
Moderate risk

When the road is confirmed open to your vehicle: a stock high-clearance, low-range-capable 4x4 on good 31-inch-class A/T tires, with a full-size spare, rated recovery points, offline maps, a radio and basic recovery gear (AGF record). Lockers are not baseline. A winch or partner vehicle is recommended for steep loose grades and remote snow and mud risk (AGF record). Narrow switchbacks, loose rock and limited turnaround room make full-size and long-wheelbase rigs a cautious fit; do not take trailers on the upper road (AGF record).

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season
About early or mid-July through September, snow dependent (AGF research estimate; verify); no MVUM dates on the county road; US-212 from Cooke City open to wheeled vehicles mid-May to early November (NPS)
Typical trip
Half day (AGF record estimate)
Camping
Limited; verify site rules and private land (AGF record)
Trailers
Stage in Cooke City; not on the upper road (AGF record)
Turnaround
Limited; use established junctions and pullouts (AGF record)
  • Hunting season: Montana's general deer and elk season runs Oct. 24–Nov. 29, 2026 (FWP). Expect hunters, camps and parked vehicles; wear blaze orange outside the vehicle. Archery season runs to Oct. 18. A youth deer hunt runs Oct. 15–16 (FWP).
  • Grizzly country: Custer Gallatin food storage order 01-11-00-23-02 applies on the Gardiner and Beartooth Ranger Districts, Mar. 1–Dec. 1.
  • No Custer Gallatin alert named Daisy Pass, Cooke City or the New World district on Oct. 12, 2026 (Gardiner fire danger Moderate). Recheck before you go.
  • Contacts: Gardiner Ranger District (406-848-7375), 805 Scott St., Gardiner; Park County Road & Bridge (406-222-4137), Livingston: ask whether Daisy Pass Road is a county road all the way to the pass.
SOURCES

Sources & Review

Last reviewed Oct. 12, 2026. No closure is listed, but county status (shown on Park County's 2025 map) is not confirmed from the legal road book, the road passes mine sites and possible private claims, snow is likely now, and side-road MVUM data comes from a 2023 copy (check the 2026 MVUM). AGF's GPS tracks from 2017 and 2019 reach Daisy Pass, and Aaron confirmed the 3/10 on Oct. 12, 2026. No GPX is published.

AGF ratings describe normal, dry-condition difficulty. They do not mean a route is legal, open or passable today. Spot something out of date? Use the Contact page.