← ALL MONTANA 4x4 TRAILS
MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0044

Lulu Pass

Lulu Pass Road up Fisher Creek from US-212 · New World mining district · Cooke City, Montana
3/10AGF Difficulty · Easy · AGF GPS reaches the pass; rated by Aaron, Oct. 12, 2026
~5.3 MIEach way from US-212, approximate (AGF estimate); verify by odometer
JURISDICTION: VERIFYLikely Park County road 16D (county GIS shows county to the pass); confirm
COUNTY · USFSPark County · Gardiner and Beartooth RDs
THE UPPER ROAD IS A STEEP, LOOSE, SINGLE-LANE CLIMB THAT THE COUNTY DOES NOT MAINTAIN, SNOW CAN SIT ON SOFT MUD INTO SUMMER, AND COUNTY STATUS IS UNCONFIRMED. Lulu Pass Road (the Fisher Creek road) is likely Park County road 16D: Forest Service road-inventory records name it "LULU PASS ROAD CNTY-16D" (FHWA copy of the FS inventory), the 2006 Gallatin travel plan refers to "the Fisher Ck. county road," and it is not on the Gardiner Ranger District MVUM road list (2023 copy). Park County's 2025 road-maintenance map (county GIS, not the legal road book) lists Lulu Pass as a county road from US-212 to the pass: the first ~1.1 miles "Seasonal Maintenance, not scheduled for winter maintenance," and the upper ~4.3 miles "Ownership retained, Not Maintained. No routine or scheduled maintenance, not maintained for winter travel." A ~100-foot piece near the bottom is tagged Forest Service on that map. Confirm county status with Park County Road & Bridge (406-222-4137). The 2017 state road framework tags the upper ~2.4 miles 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: verify with the Gardiner Ranger District (406-848-7375). Obey all posted signs. Snow and mud: an onX report (secondary) on June 19, 2026 said, "After the Gold mine there are some deep snow drifts with very soft mud underneath." Late snowfields are normal at this elevation, and snow is likely now. Side roads are separate Forest Service roads with their own MVUM seasons (2023 copy): FS 3230 Goose Lake, FS 3224 Sheep Mountain and FS 3229 Scotch Bonnet (at the pass, Beartooth Ranger District) are open to motor vehicles June 16–Sept. 4 only; FS 3227 Hens Roost June 16–Dec. 1. They are not part of this guide; do not drive them outside their dates. Do not loop down the Daisy Pass side: that connector is unmaintained (Park County) and not part of this guide. Mines and private land: the district historically mixed National Forest and patented private mining claims (report for the FS, 2012), and FS 3215 runs from Lulu Pass Road to a mine-waste "REPOSITORY" (FS inventory). Respect posted private land and reclamation closures, stay out of mine workings, and do not drink untreated water from mine-affected drainages. 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. 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), the Beartooth Ranger District (406-446-2103) (north of the pass) and Park County Road & Bridge (406-222-4137) before you go, and read Know Before You Go.
AGF'S GPS TRACKS REACH LULU PASS. AARON RATED THIS 3/10 ON OCT. 12, 2026. AGF's GPS tracks from Sept. 9–10, 2017 and July 27–28, 2019 reach Lulu 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 rated it 3/10 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 Up Fisher Creek to Lulu Pass

Lulu Pass Road from US-212 east of Cooke City, north up Fisher Creek past the Goose Lake Road (FS 3230) junction, to Lulu Pass at the Scotch Bonnet (FS 3229) junction, and back the same way. About 5.3 miles each way, approximate: AGF's estimate from 2017 state road geometry is about 2.9 miles in the county framework plus about 2.4 miles tagged Forest Service; Park County's 2025 map gives about 5.4 miles. onX's 3.1-mile segment (secondary), the figure in AGF's earlier listing, covers only the upper road from the Goose Lake Road side to Scotch Bonnet Road. Verify by odometer.

NOT INCLUDED: the Daisy Pass side and any loop over it, FS 3229 Scotch Bonnet beyond the junction, FS 3230 Goose Lake (its own guide), FS 3224 Sheep Mountain (its own guide), FS 3227, FS 3215 and other side roads, mine and reclamation sites, and any private land.
WHY 3/10

Easy · Steep, Loose Single-Lane Climb

AGF's GPS tracks from 2017 and 2019 reach Lulu Pass, and Aaron rated it 3/10 on Oct. 12, 2026 (owner statement). AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. onX (secondary) says the lower road is a somewhat maintained two-lane forest road, and that higher up the terrain becomes "a more challenging single-lane route," "characterized by steep climbs, loose gravel, and v-notch washes that demand careful tire placement." In dry conditions that terrain fits AGF's Easy 3. onX rates it 4 (secondary). No locker- or winch-level obstacle is documented. Snow over soft mud, runoff and fire 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

From Cooke City, drive east on US-212 to the Lulu Pass (Fisher Creek) road turnoff (2017 state framework start: about 45.0265, -109.9001) and turn north. At about 2.3 miles the Goose Lake Road (FS 3230) branches off; stay on Lulu Pass Road. The road passes the Sheep Mountain road (FS 3224) junction below the pass and reaches Lulu Pass (USGS GNIS: 45.069662, -109.95935) at the Scotch Bonnet (FS 3229) junction. Return the same way. Mileages and junction positions are AGF's estimates from generalized 2017 state geometry (approximate): verify.

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

The pin marks Lulu Pass (USGS GNIS 786713 via MyTopo and AGF's trail record; 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
Recommended
Tires
31-inch minimum
Rear locker
No
Front locker
No
Winch
Recommended (AGF record: steep loose grades, 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 high-clearance 4x4 with low range, good 31-inch-class A/T tires, a full-size spare, rated recovery points, offline maps and basic recovery gear (AGF record). Lockers are not baseline. A winch or partner vehicle is recommended for the steep loose grades and snow and mud risk (AGF record). Full-size and long-wheelbase rigs are possible but less comfortable on the steep one-lane upper section; no trailers on the upper road (AGF record).

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season
About early July through September, snow dependent (AGF research estimate; verify); no MVUM dates on the county road; side roads June 16–Sept. 4 (2023 MVUM copy)
Typical trip
2–3 hours (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 (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 Lulu Pass, Fisher Creek, Goose Lake or the New World district on Oct. 12, 2026. Recheck before you go.
  • Contacts: Gardiner Ranger District (406-848-7375); Beartooth Ranger District (406-446-2103) for FS 3229 and the land north of the pass; Park County Road & Bridge (406-222-4137): ask whether Lulu 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 the upper road is a steep, loose single-lane climb that the county does not maintain, county status is not confirmed from the legal road book, side roads close Sept. 5 (2023 MVUM copy), snow is likely now, and MVUM data must be checked on the 2026 MVUM. AGF's GPS tracks from 2017 and 2019 reach Lulu Pass, and Aaron rated it 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.