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MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0054

Long Draw Road

BLM Cottonwood Travel Management Area · Carbon County, Montana · nearest town Bridger
3/10AGF Difficulty · Easy · estimate; no record of AGF driving it
~8.4 MIOne way (onX, secondary); verify by odometer
PRIVATE APPROACHApproach roads cross private land; legal status unverified: stay on the road
BLMBillings Field Office
THE APPROACH ROADS CROSS PRIVATE LAND AND THEIR LEGAL STATUS IS UNVERIFIED, AND LONG DRAW TURNS TO MUD IN RAIN. Access is on Cottonwood Road and then N/S Silvertip Road, and BLM land-status data (limited scale) shows private land under both. Their 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. 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. Long Draw Road itself is on BLM land at all 7 sampled points (BLM land-status data). Mud: onX (secondary) says, "Avoid this trail during the rain as it will be a giant mud hole." Do not drive it wet. Travel plan: BLM's Cottonwood Travel Management Area map governs motorized use here: stay on designated routes. Long Draw Road is named on that map (BLM, 2019), but its BLM route number and 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 Long Draw 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. The southeast end: no connection from it to a public road was confirmed (state GIS). Turn around and return the way you came. Ridge Road #1005 (onX, secondary) and any connection to it are not confirmed and are not part of this guide. Do not assume a legal route into Wyoming (AGF research). Winter: Carbon County's 2022 road maintenance priority list gives Cottonwood Road (Warren) "Minimal maintenance and no snow plowing." 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 LONG DRAW ROAD. THIS 3/10 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 20 km of it (checked Oct. 9, 2026). Everything here comes from official Forest Service, BLM, state and county sources, plus clearly labeled secondary sources. AGF will re-rate it after an AGF run.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Long Draw Road on BLM Land

Long Draw Road on BLM land in the Cottonwood Travel Management Area, from its northwest end near S Silvertip Road southeast to its far end, and back the same way. About 8.4 miles one way (onX, secondary; AGF's earlier listing used 8.5). The state road framework line generalizes to about 7.7 miles, so the true length is likely a little longer (AGF estimate): verify by odometer. The approach roads (Cottonwood Road, then N/S Silvertip Road; legal status unverified) are approach only, not part of the rated route.

NOT INCLUDED: Ridge Road #1005 (onX, secondary) and any junction with it, any onward connection from the southeast end (not confirmed), any Wyoming continuation, all side spurs, and the approach roads.
WHY 3/10

Easy · Loose, Rutted Dirt Road

NO RECORD OF AGF DRIVING THIS ROUTE: the 3/10 is AGF's estimate, not an AGF run. AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. Here that is loose, rutted tread: onX (secondary) calls the road "pretty loose and fairly rutted in spots" and also rates it 3. No rock or ledge obstacle is described, and no locker- or winch-level obstacle is documented. Mud is severe when wet, but mud, snow and fire are condition changes, not part of the base rating.

Rock
2/5
Mud
4/5
Water
1/5
Exposure
1/5
Snow
3/5
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. From Bridger, take US-310 south to the Warren area (distance: verify). Turn west onto Cottonwood Road and follow it northwest to its end, then continue onto N Silvertip Road and S Silvertip Road south along the ridge. Both cross private land and their legal status is unverified: verify with BLM Billings (406-896-5013) and Carbon County. The Cottonwood Road–N Silvertip Road link is not confirmed in state GIS (the mapped ends are about 0.4 mile apart): verify with Carbon County. Long Draw Road leaves S Silvertip Road at about 45.103, -108.962 (state GIS, not field-verified) and runs southeast. Return the way you came. 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 the northwest end of Long Draw Road near S Silvertip Road (Montana State Library road framework coordinate; not field-verified). BLM land-status data shows BLM land there. The southeast end is at about 45.0274, -108.8538 (same source); no public road connection from it was confirmed. No downloadable track is published: AGF's GPS archive has no track within 20 km of this route.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4
Yes
High clearance
Recommended
Tires
Stock / 31-in class preferred
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 and good A/T tires are recommended (AGF record). Lockers and a winch are not baseline. Carry rated recovery points, a full-size spare, offline maps and basic recovery gear. Full-size and long-wheelbase rigs are generally fine on Long Draw itself in normal dry conditions (AGF record). Avoid the road when wet.

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season
Spring through fall when dry (AGF record); no seasonal dates found in the BLM TMA map text: verify
Typical trip
2–4 hours (AGF record estimate)
Camping
Verify; never on private land
Trailer parking
Limited (AGF record); verify; never on private land
Turnaround
Verify; return the way you came
  • 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 Cottonwood closure or alert on Oct. 9, 2026. It refers fire restrictions to mtfireinfo.org (not checked): verify before any campfire.
  • Long Draw's BLM route number, designation class and current travel-plan status: verify with BLM Billings.
  • Contacts: BLM Billings Field Office 406-896-5013 (5001 Southgate Dr., Billings); Carbon County Road Department, Bridger Road Shop: Commissioner Scott Miller 406-425-3104, Foreman Sam Kallevig 406-662-3606 (the legal status of Cottonwood Road and N/S Silvertip Road, and the N Silvertip–Cottonwood Road link).
SOURCES

Sources & Review

Last reviewed Oct. 9, 2026. No closure is listed, but the approach roads cross private land and their legal status is unverified, the road is a mud hole when wet, Long Draw's BLM route number and current travel-plan status are unverified, and no public connection from the southeast end was confirmed. There is no record of AGF driving Long Draw Road; the 3/10 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.