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MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0053

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass Road off Cottonwood Road · BLM Cottonwood Travel Management Area · Carbon County, Montana (nearest town Bridger)
2/10AGF Difficulty · Easy · estimate; no record of AGF driving it
~1.4 MITo the pass; about 2.5–2.6 mi one way to the closed gate (AGF estimate; verify)
HARD STOP AT GATEClosed gate bordering private property: turn around
BLMBillings Field Office
HARD STOP AT THE CLOSED GATE, AND THE APPROACH ROAD CROSSES PRIVATE LAND AND ITS LEGAL STATUS IS UNVERIFIED. onX (secondary) says, "This trail ends at a closed gate bordering private property and you will have to turn around." Do not open, pass or go around the gate. This is not a through route. The gate's exact location is not sourced. BLM land-status data (limited scale) shows BLM land along the road to about 2.5 miles, including at the pass (about 1.4 miles in), and private land only at the far west end (about 2.6 miles), so the pass is likely before the gate. If you meet a closed gate before the pass, turn around there. Access is on Cottonwood Road, and BLM land-status data (limited scale) shows private land under it north of the Hatcher Pass Road junction and near Warren. Its legal status is unverified: AGF's decision log records that Carbon County commissioners said in March 2022 they did not believe the Warren-area Cottonwood Road was a county road because BLM maintained it. Carbon County's 2022 road maintenance priority list gives Cottonwood Road (Warren) "Minimal maintenance and no snow plowing"; that is a maintenance list, not a legal-status determination. Stay on the road, do not stop, camp or turn around on private land, and verify public access with the BLM Billings Field Office (406-896-5013) and Carbon County (406-425-3104) before you go. Travel plan: BLM's Cottonwood Travel Management Area map governs motorized use here: stay on designated routes. The map labels "Hatcher Pass Road," but its designation class could not be read from it, and BLM opened scoping for a new Cottonwood Travel Management Plan in 2023, analyzing about 320 miles of routes, with some routes proposed for closure in the alternatives (Blue Ribbon Coalition post on IH8MUD, secondary); the outcome, and whether Hatcher Pass Road is affected, was not found. Its current BLM travel-plan status is unverified: call the BLM Billings Field Office (406-896-5013) before you go. onX (secondary) mentions "a decent campground about a quarter mile in with some shade"; the land status of that site: verify. Official closures, posted signs and private property override this guide. Call the BLM Billings Field Office (406-896-5013) before you go, and read Know Before You Go.
NO RECORD OF AGF DRIVING HATCHER PASS. THIS 2/10 IS AN ESTIMATE FROM OFFICIAL AND SECONDARY SOURCES. No record of AGF driving this route. AGF's GPS archive (274 tracks) has no track within 5 km of the pass (checked Oct. 12, 2026). Everything here comes from official sources, plus clearly labeled secondary sources. AGF will re-rate it after an AGF run.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Cottonwood Road to Hatcher Pass and the Gate

Hatcher Pass Road from its junction on Cottonwood Road west over Hatcher Pass (about 1.4 miles) to the closed gate (about 2.5–2.6 miles, location unverified), and back the same way: about 5.2 miles round trip (AGF estimate from state GIS; onX, secondary, lists 2.6 miles). The road is named on BLM's Cottonwood Travel Management Area map; BLM land-status data shows it on BLM land except at its far west end. Cottonwood Road (legal status unverified) is approach only, not part of the rated route.

NOT INCLUDED: anything beyond the closed gate (private property; no through route), Cottonwood Road (approach only), side spurs, and any private land.
WHY 2/10

Easy · Loose, Slightly Rutted Dirt Road

NO RECORD OF AGF DRIVING THIS ROUTE: the 2/10 is AGF's estimate, not an AGF run. AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. onX (secondary, rated 2) says, "There are a couple of loose and slightly rutted sections, but nothing challenging," and "This is an easy trail with some loose and slightly rutted sections." No technical obstacle is documented. How the road behaves when wet: verify. Mud, snow and fire are condition changes, not part of the base rating.

Rock
1/5
Mud
1/5
Water
0/5
Exposure
1/5
Snow
2/5
Pinstriping
1/5

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

ROUTE & MAP

Getting There

No official directions were found; this sequence comes from state GIS road geometry (AGF research): verify before you go. Cottonwood Road's north end meets Schwend Road (a Carbon County Priority 1 road) at about 45.218, -108.9377; its south end is near Warren. From the north end, follow Cottonwood Road south about 3.3–3.5 miles (AGF estimate) to the Hatcher Pass Road junction at about 45.1803, -108.9080 (signing: verify) and turn west. Hatcher Pass is about 1.4 miles in; continue to the closed gate if you wish (about 2.5 miles, location unverified) and turn around. The route from Bridger to Schwend Road: verify. Cottonwood Road can also be reached from US-310 near Warren (see the Long Draw Road guide); that approach also crosses private land with unverified status. Stay on the road through private land.

LOADING MAP…
BLM Cottonwood TMA map (PDF) →BLM Billings Field Office →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks Hatcher Pass (USGS GNIS 772194; not field-checked). The pass is likely on BLM land about 1.4 miles from Cottonwood Road, before the closed gate (BLM land-status data, limited scale), but the gate's exact location is unknown: turn around at any closed gate. No downloadable track is published.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4
Yes
High clearance
Recommended
Tires
Stock
Rear locker
No
Front locker
No
Winch
Optional
Full-size
Yes
Body damage
Low risk

A stock SUV or 4x4 is appropriate in normal dry conditions; high clearance is recommended for margin. Lockers and a winch are not baseline (AGF record). Carry normal recovery gear. Full-size and long-wheelbase rigs should be fine on the full-width road in normal dry conditions; turn around before the closed gate and do not assume room or permission beyond it (AGF record).

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season
No seasonal restriction found (BLM TMA map text; BLM Billings page); conditions: verify
Typical trip
1–2 hours (AGF record estimate)
Camping
Verify land status and current BLM rules
Trailer parking
Limited (AGF record); never on private land; verify
Turnaround
At or before the closed gate (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).
  • The BLM Billings Field Office page listed no alert or closure on Oct. 12, 2026. It refers fire restrictions to mtfireinfo.org (not checked): verify before any campfire.
  • Hatcher Pass Road's BLM designation class, the gate location and the 2023 travel-plan outcome: verify with BLM Billings.
  • Contacts: BLM Billings Field Office (406-896-5013), 5001 Southgate Dr., Billings; Carbon County (406-425-3104) for Cottonwood Road's status.
SOURCES

Sources & Review

Last reviewed Oct. 12, 2026. No closure is listed, but the route ends at a closed gate bordering private property (location unverified), Cottonwood Road crosses private land and its legal status is unverified, and Hatcher Pass Road's BLM designation is unverified. There is no record of AGF driving Hatcher Pass; the 2/10 is an estimate from official and secondary sources.

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.