McKelvey Lake via FR 965 + Hike, Tobacco Roots, Montana | Trail Guide

MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0033

McKelvey Lake (FR 965 + hike)

Forest Road 965 North Meadow Creek · Trail #6340 trailhead · Tobacco Root Mountains, Montana

NOT RATEDDrive only: verify (FS: ML3 now, objective ML2 high clearance)

2.44 MIFR 965 one way (FS inventory), then hike

CLOSED JAN 1–MAR 31FR 965 open to motor vehicles Apr. 1–Dec. 31 (MVUM)

USFSMadison Ranger District

THE DRIVE ENDS AT THE TRAIL #6340 TRAILHEAD. DRIVING ON TOWARD THE LAKE IS OF QUESTIONABLE LEGALITY. Some people drive Trails #6340 and #6338 toward McKelvey Lake. The 2017 Tobacco Root MVUM lists parts of them as seasonal motorized trails, but the vehicle class allowed could not be confirmed, and FWP says to "take FR#965 until it ends and proceed on foot." Driving them in a full-size vehicle is of questionable legality: AGF does not recommend it until the Madison Ranger District (406-682-4253) confirms your vehicle class. Seasonal: FR 965 is open to motor vehicles Apr. 1–Dec. 31 and closed Jan. 1–Mar. 31 (2017 MVUM). In winter the corridor is a Forest Service snowmobile trail (SNO-6155, FS trail inventory); an onX user (secondary) reported it groomed and closed to wheeled vehicles in December 2023. onX (secondary) says the trail is "generally passable just after the 4th of July each year." Private land: AGF research indicates the approach on South Meadow Creek County Road #29 and North Meadow Creek Road #31 (FWP) crosses private ranch land; no easement record was read: verify. Stay on the road, leave gates as you find them, and do not park or camp off the road on private ground. Bridges: the Forest Service closed the route in July 2021 after a bridge partially collapsed (Montana Overland 4x4 Adventures, club, secondary). The bridges were reportedly rebuilt, and onX users (secondary) report it open through Aug. 31, 2026, but no Forest Service reopening notice was found and no alert was listed on Oct. 9, 2026: verify, and obey posted signs. The Cliff Lake continuation (Trail #6366) is excluded. Check the current MVUM and land-manager rules before you go: official closures, posted signs and private property override this guide. Call the Madison Ranger District (406-682-4253) before you go, and read Know Before You Go.

AGF HAS NOT RUN THIS ROUTE, AND THE DRIVE IS NOT YET RATED. The Forest Service maintains FR 965 at level 3, "Suitable for Passenger Cars," but its objective level is 2, "High Clearance Vehicles," single lane (FS EDW, queried Oct. 9, 2026). The 6/10 technical rating reported by onX (secondary) and in AGF's earlier listing belongs to Trails #6340 and #6338 beyond the road, and is not part of this guide.

WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Drive FR 965, Then Hike

Drive FR 965 North Meadow Creek from MP 0.00 to its end at the North Meadow Creek Trail #6340 trailhead: 2.44 miles one way, 4.88 round trip (FS inventory). Then hike to McKelvey Lake on Trail #6340, then Trail #6338 (FS trail inventory; FWP). Hike distance: verify; onX (secondary) lists about 2.3 miles. The county approach roads are not part of the rated route.

NOT INCLUDED: driving Trails #6340 and #6338 (vehicle class unconfirmed; onX, secondary, rates that technical trail 6), the Cliff Lake continuation (Trail #6366), FR 965B New Deal Mine, and the county approach roads.

NOT YET RATED

Not Yet Rated · Forest Road + Hike

AGF has not run FR 965, and this guide does not rate it. The Forest Service maintains FR 965 at level 3, "Suitable for Passenger Cars," but its objective level is 2, "High Clearance Vehicles," single lane (FS EDW, queried Oct. 9, 2026), with gravel to MP 2.30 and native surface for the last 0.14 mile (FS inventory). A maintenance level is a standard, not a condition report, and no source describes FR 965's actual surface condition. Terrain scores are not rated. The trail beyond the road is a different route: onX (secondary) describes "the gatekeeper 50 yards in" and a final side-cut section "changing continuously between a difficulty of a 4 and a 7."

Terrain scores (rock, mud, water, exposure, snow, pinstriping) are not rated yet for this trail.

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

ROUTE & MAP

Getting There

From US-287 near McAllister, take South Meadow Creek County Road #29 to North Meadow Creek Road #31 (FWP). FWP says the county road becomes FR 160 at the forest boundary, then to take FR 965 until it ends; the FS inventory starts FR 965 where the non-FS road ends (about 45.53623, -111.86854). The boundary road sequence: verify. Drive FR 965 2.44 miles to its end at the Trail #6340 trailhead, park, and hike west on Trail #6340, then Trail #6338, to the lake. Montana Overland 4x4 Adventures (club, secondary) describes an approach from Norris, about 15.3 miles to the trailhead; AGF has not verified its mileages.

LOADING MAP…

Beaverhead-Deerlodge alerts →Tobacco Root MVUM (2017) →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks the end of FR 965 at the Trail #6340 trailhead (FS inventory coordinate, not field-checked). McKelvey Lake itself is at 45.49407, -111.94081 (FWP), a hike from here. No downloadable track is published.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4: Verify (FS: ML3 passenger car now; objective ML2 high clearance)
High clearance: Verify (FS objective ML2: high clearance)
Tires: Verify
Rear locker: Verify
Front locker: Verify
Winch: Verify
Full-size: Verify on FR 965; do not drive Trails #6340/#6338
Body damage: Verify

The Forest Service maintains FR 965 at level 3 (passenger car) with an objective level of 2 (high clearance); AGF has not run it, so the rig table is marked verify. Do not drive Trails #6340 or #6338: their vehicle class is unconfirmed, and onX (secondary) describes technical terrain for experienced drivers only.

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season: Motor vehicles Apr. 1–Dec. 31 (MVUM); trail "generally passable just after the 4th of July each year" (onX, secondary)
Hike: Trail #6340 then #6338; distance verify (onX, secondary: about 2.3 mi)
Lake: About 8,785 ft (FWP)
Typical trip: Verify
Parking: At the end of FR 965; size: verify

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).
Bear country: Beaverhead-Deerlodge food storage order 02-00-22-02 applies Mar. 1–Dec. 1.
Bringing stock? The Northern Region weed-free forage order R1-2025-01 applies.
No Beaverhead-Deerlodge alert named North Meadow Creek, FR 965, Trails #6340/#6338 or McKelvey Lake on Oct. 9, 2026 (fire danger Moderate). Recheck before you go.
Contacts: Madison Ranger District 406-682-4253 (5 Forest Service Road, Ennis).

SOURCES

Sources & Review

FS EDW: National Forest System Roads (queried Oct. 9, 2026; FR 965 MP 0.00–2.44; operational ML3 "Suitable for Passenger Cars", objective ML2 high clearance; single lane; pin coordinate)
FS EDW: National Forest System Trails (Trail 6340 (5.06 mi) starts at the FR 965 end; Trail 6338; snowmobile trail SNO-6155)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: Tobacco Root Mountains MVUM (2017) (965 4/1–12/31; 6340 and 6338 seasonal segments; vehicle class not readable)
Montana FWP FishMT: McKelvey Lake (approach roads; foot travel beyond FR 965; lake coordinate and elevation)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF alerts (checked Oct. 9, 2026; no North Meadow alert; food storage and weed-free orders)
Beaverhead-Deerlodge NF: Madison Ranger District (406-682-4253)
onX Offroad: North Meadow - McKelvey (secondary (crowd); 2.3 mi, rated 6; reports open through Aug. 31, 2026; Dec. 2023 groomed-snowmobile report)
Montana Overland 4x4 Adventures blog (secondary (club); July 2021 closure; bridges rebuilt)
Montana Overland 4x4 Adventures: McKelvey Lake Trail (secondary (club); approach from Norris)
KXLF: 4x4 groups raise funds to reopen trail (Feb. 6, 2022) (news; historical bridge closure)
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. 9, 2026. FR 965 is open Apr. 1–Dec. 31 and no closure is listed, but the drive ends at the Trail #6340 trailhead, driving on toward the lake is of questionable legality, and the approach is reported to cross private land (verify). AGF has not run this route, and the drive is not yet rated.

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.