Hellroaring Plateau (FS 2004) near Red Lodge, Montana | Trail Guide

MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0050

Hellroaring Plateau (FS 2004)

Hellroaring Road, Forest Road 2004 · Beartooth Ranger District · south of Red Lodge, Montana

4/10AGF Difficulty · Moderate · estimate; no record of AGF driving it

5.6 MIOne way to the trailhead (FS); about 11.2–11.4 mi round trip

HIGHWAY-LEGAL ONLYFS 2004, yearlong (FS MVUM data, Oct. 12, 2026; check the 2026 MVUM)

USFSBeartooth Ranger District

HIGHWAY-LEGAL VEHICLES ONLY, AND THE UPPER ROAD IS NARROW WITH LARGE DROP-OFFS. FS 2004 is listed as "Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong," maintenance level 2 (high clearance), native surface (Forest Service MVUM data, read Oct. 12, 2026; same in a 2023 copy). Non-street-legal ATVs, UTVs and dirt bikes are not allowed. Exposure: an onX report (secondary, Aug. 31, 2025) says, "Not very technical but it is very narrow with thousand feet plus steep drop offs on the downhill side." onX (secondary) says "a full-size pickup truck or long-wheel base full-size SUV is not recommended," and an Aug. 21, 2026 onX report says, "Turnouts are minimal." The Forest Service says, "Travelling this road in a horse trailer is not recommended." Snow: the road has no MVUM seasonal date but is snow-limited. onX reports (secondary) found it blocked by deep snow on June 5 and 8, 2026 and "Clear to the top." on June 26, 2026; an Oct. 22, 2025 report said it "got pretty icy" about halfway up. Expect snow and ice now. Motor vehicles stop at the trailhead, where FS 2004 ends on the MVUM; Hellroaring Plateau Trail #11 beyond it follows an old road but is not open to vehicles, and the Forest Service notes that "travelling in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness comes with additional regulations." No mechanized travel inside the wilderness; where the boundary lies: verify. Approach: the Glacier Lake Road #2421 winter closure order (Dec. 1, 2025–June 15, 2026) covered only FS 2421 beyond the Hellroaring junction and has expired; a similar order may recur Dec. 1: verify. Whether lower FS 2421 is gated in winter: verify. NPS (updated Oct. 9, 2026) says the Beartooth Highway over the pass is "Scheduled to close for the season Monday, October 12 and, depending on conditions, may not reopen until next spring." The Rock Creek turnoff is likely below the Montana-side winter gate: a 2013 news report (KOWB, secondary) put the "bottom gate 13 miles south of Red Lodge," and the Forest Service puts the turnoff 10.9 miles from the district office. That gate location is from 2013: verify with MDT. FS 2004's vehicle class comes from the Forest Service's live MVUM data (EDW, read Oct. 12, 2026), which matches a 2023 copy; the Forest Service says that data must match the published MVUM: check the 2026 MVUM before you go. Official closures, posted signs and private property override this guide. Call the Beartooth Ranger District (406-446-2103) before you go, and read Know Before You Go.

NO RECORD OF AGF DRIVING HELLROARING PLATEAU. THIS 4/10 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 2 km of it (checked Oct. 12, 2026). Everything here comes from official Forest Service sources, plus clearly labeled secondary sources. AGF will re-rate it after an AGF run.

WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Hellroaring Road to the Trailhead

Hellroaring Road (FS 2004) from Main Fork Rock Creek Road (FS 2421) to the trailhead at the end of the road: 5.6 miles one way (FS; the 2023 MVUM copy gives 5.64), about 11.2–11.4 miles round trip, returning the same way. The approach road number is FS 2421; the "NFSR #2241" in AGF's earlier listing is a typo carried from an Aug. 4, 2025 Forest Service release (no NFSR 2241 exists in the FS MVUM data).

NOT INCLUDED: Hellroaring Plateau Trail #11 and anything beyond the trailhead (not open to vehicles; the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness lies beyond, boundary location: verify), FS 2421 beyond the Hellroaring junction toward Glacier Lake, and side spurs.

WHY 4/10

Moderate · Narrow, Exposed Rocky Shelf Road

NO RECORD OF AGF DRIVING THIS ROUTE: the 4/10 is AGF's estimate, not an AGF run. AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. Here that is the narrow upper road with large drop-offs: an onX report (secondary, Aug. 31, 2025) says, "Not very technical but it is very narrow with thousand feet plus steep drop offs on the downhill side." onX (secondary) also says, "This is a very bumpy route with continuous rocky terrain and many sharp rocks along the way," and rates it 4. The Forest Service says "the Hellroaring Road is rocky with potholes. High clearance vehicles are advised." No locker- or winch-level obstacle is documented. Snow, ice, mud and fire are condition changes, not part of the base rating.

Rock

4/5

Mud

2/5

Water

1/5

Exposure

4/5

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

Forest Service directions: from the Beartooth Ranger District office (6811 Hwy 212, just south of Red Lodge), "Drive south on US Hwy 212 for 10.9 miles." "Turn right onto the Main Fork Rock Creek Rd (Forest Road 2421)." "Drive 0.9 miles past three campgrounds and bear to the right onto the Hellroaring Rd." "Drive 5.6 miles to the trailhead at the end of the road." Return the same way. Motor vehicles stop at the trailhead.

LOADING MAP…

Hellroaring Plateau Trail #11 (FS) →Custer Gallatin alerts →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin is AGF's trail-record point for the trailhead; it falls within about 10 m of the end of FS 2004 in Forest Service MVUM data (not field-checked). No downloadable track is published: AGF's GPS archive has no track within 2 km of this route.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4: Yes
High clearance: Required
Tires: 31-inch minimum
Rear locker: No
Front locker: No
Winch: Recommended (AGF record: recovery margin); no winch-level obstacle is documented
Full-size: Not recommended (onX, secondary); limited (AGF record)
Body damage: Moderate risk

High clearance is required (AGF record; FS: "High clearance vehicles are advised"). A capable stock 4x4 on good 31-inch-class A/T tires, with a full-size spare, rated recovery points, offline maps and recovery gear; low range helps on rough grades (AGF record). Lockers are not baseline. Full-size and long-wheelbase rigs: onX (secondary) says "a full-size pickup truck or long-wheel base full-size SUV is not recommended," and passing room is limited. No horse trailers (FS). Highway-legal vehicles only.

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season: No MVUM seasonal date (yearlong, FS MVUM data, Oct. 12, 2026); snow-limited: about late June to early or mid-October (AGF research estimate; verify)
Vehicles: Highway-legal only (FS MVUM data, Oct. 12, 2026; check the 2026 MVUM)
Typical trip: Half day (AGF record estimate)
Camping: Limited (AGF record); verify
Trailers: No horse trailers (FS); trailer parking limited (AGF record)
Turnaround: Limited (AGF record); turnouts are minimal (onX report, Aug. 21, 2026)

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 Hellroaring Road on Oct. 12, 2026 (Beartooth fire danger Moderate). The 2025 bridge-installation closure of FS 2004 (Aug. 1–Sept. 30, 2025) is over. Recheck before you go.
Contacts: Beartooth Ranger District (406-446-2103), 6811 Hwy 212, Red Lodge; Custer Gallatin Supervisor's Office 406-587-6701 (closure orders); MDT for the US-212 winter gate.

SOURCES

Sources & Review

FS: Hellroaring Plateau Trail #11 (official; updated Jan. 13, 2026; directions, "rocky with potholes," high clearance advised, no horse trailers, wilderness note)
MVUM roads, 2023 copy of the FS S_USA.Road_MVUM layer (secondary copy (non-FS host), last edited Aug. 2, 2023; FS 2004 HELLROARING CREEK, 0–5.64 mi, "Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong," ML2, native surface; recheck on the 2026 MVUM)
FS EDW MVUM roads (live) (official; FS 2004 HELLROARING CREEK read Oct. 12, 2026: highway legal only, yearlong, ML2, 0–5.64 mi; FS 2421 MAIN FORK ROCK CREEK; no NFSR 2241)
FS release: CGNF extends motorized road closure (Aug. 4, 2025) (historical; FS 2004 closed Aug. 1–Sept. 30, 2025 for bridge installation; cites "NFSR #2241" (typo for 2421))
FS alert: Glacier Lake Road #2421 Closure Order 01-11-82-26-01 (Dec. 1, 2025–June 15, 2026; from the FS 2004 junction to the road end; expired)
Custer Gallatin NF alerts (checked Oct. 12, 2026; nothing on this route; fire danger Moderate)
Custer Gallatin food storage order 01-11-00-23-02 (Gardiner and Beartooth RDs; Mar. 1–Dec. 1; order text runs to Dec. 31, 2026)
Custer Gallatin NF: Beartooth Ranger District (6811 Hwy 212, Red Lodge; 406-446-2103)
NPS Yellowstone: park roads (updated Oct. 9, 2026; Beartooth Highway "Scheduled to close for the season Monday, October 12"; Cooke City–Pilot Creek "open to wheeled vehicles mid-May through early November")
onX Offroad: Hellroaring Plateau (secondary (crowd); rated 4; terrain and full-size quotes; reports Oct. 22, 2025, Aug. 31, 2025 and June–Aug. 2026 ("Turnouts are minimal." Aug. 21, 2026))
KOWB: Beartooth Highway to close temporarily (Sept. 24, 2013) (secondary news, old; "bottom gate 13 miles south of Red Lodge"; verify with MDT)
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. 12, 2026. No closure is listed, but FS 2004 is highway-legal only, the upper road is narrow with large drop-offs, snow and ice are likely from October, and the MVUM class should be checked on the 2026 MVUM. There is no record of AGF driving Hellroaring Plateau; the 4/10 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.