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MONTANA 4x4 TRAIL GUIDE · MT-0042

Missouri Breaks Back Country Byway

Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument · Winifred to James Kipp Recreation Area, Montana
3/10AGF Difficulty · Easy
~80 MIVisit Montana (secondary); sources differ
4x4High clearance for many sections
BLM · USFWSLewistown FO · CMR Refuge
IMPASSABLE WHEN WET, AND ONE ROUTE CHOICE MAY BE CLOSED NOW INSIDE THE C.M. RUSSELL REFUGE. Visit Montana (state tourism, secondary) says the roads become "totally impassable when wet": "do not attempt to travel the Byway if wet weather is threatening." BLM: "Driving the byway after heavy rains, during the winter or during periods of heavy spring run-off is strongly discouraged." Recreation.gov (BLM listing) says wet clay roads turn to slick "gumbo" and seasonal creeks can become impassable, and that "many sections are recommended for high clearance vehicles (4x4) only." Part of the Lower Two Calf route runs inside the Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge. Refuge rules: "Unless otherwise posted, seasonally closed roads are closed to all motorized travel from August 28-March 1," vehicles may use only numbered refuge roads designated open, and travel on closed roads or off road is prohibited (USFWS). AGF has not confirmed whether the refuge segment is one of those seasonal roads: treat the Lower Two Calf / Two Calf Trail choice as possibly closed now, and verify with the refuge (406-538-8706) before you take it. BLM's byway map notes that Middle Two Calf Road "creek crossings along the route may be impassible," that Lower Two Calf has "Seasonal Access dependent on weather/ streams," and that the Two Calf Trail has "a steep incline not well suited for low-clearance vehicles." There are no services (Visit Montana, secondary) and cell coverage is limited (Recreation.gov): bring enough fuel, food and water. Respect posted signs and ownership boundaries; private and state land likely lie along the agricultural section of the DY Trail (AGF reading of BLM map notes; verify). Call the Missouri Breaks Interpretive Center (406-622-4000) or the BLM Lewistown Field Office (406-538-1900) for conditions before entering, and read Know Before You Go.
AGF HAS NOT RUN THIS ROUTE. This guide is built from official sources (BLM, Recreation.gov and USFWS) plus clearly labeled secondary sources. No AGF field visit is behind it, and the 3/10 rating comes from those sources, not from an AGF drive.
WHAT THIS GUIDE COVERS

Winifred to James Kipp, Three Route Choices

The BLM Missouri Breaks Back Country Byway between Winifred and James Kipp Recreation Area on US-191, with three route choices: the DY Trail and Lower Two Calf / Two Calf Trail, Middle Two Calf Road, and Knox Ridge Road (BLM byway map; how the segments combine is AGF's reading). Distances differ: AGF's record and Visit Montana (secondary) give about 80 miles and 2–3 hours; BLM's map segments add up to about 122 miles across all choices; Big Sky Fishing (third party) gives 47 miles one way or about 80 as a loop. Plan on the longer figures.

NOT INCLUDED: Stafford Ferry and other river destinations, roads not on the byway, any off-road or cross-country travel (prohibited in the monument, per AGF's record; verify) and any refuge road not designated open.
WHY 3/10

Easy · High Clearance Needed

AGF rates a trail by its hardest unavoidable obstacle in normal dry conditions. Recreation.gov says many sections are recommended for high-clearance 4x4s only, and BLM notes a steep incline on the Two Calf Trail (one route choice) that is not well suited to low-clearance vehicles. No locker- or winch-level obstacle is documented. Gumbo, creek crossings, snow and runoff can make the byway impassable without changing the dry rating, which is why mud scores 5/5.

Rock
2/5
Mud
5/5
Water
2/5
Exposure
2/5
Snow
4/5
Pinstriping
2/5

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

ROUTE & MAP

Getting There

From Lewistown, take Montana Secondary 236 north 38 miles to Winifred, where the byway begins (Visit Montana, secondary). BLM's map shows the DY Trail leaving Winifred as "Well graded gravel road" toward Knox Ridge Road. Big Sky Fishing (third party) says to head east from Winifred on the DY Trail and keep right after 2 miles (the left fork goes to the Missouri River ferry), and that no signs in Winifred mention the byway. The route choices rejoin Knox Ridge Road and continue east to US-191 at James Kipp Recreation Area (BLM map). Official road numbers were not found.

LOADING MAP…
Recreation.gov byway listing →CMR Refuge rules →ROUTE FILE: not published yet

The pin marks Winifred, the west start of the byway (AGF record). Whether the byway starts in town or at the fork about 2 miles east is unconfirmed. No downloadable track is published: a track built from BLM's byway map layer has not been field-checked or cleared for the refuge segment.

VEHICLE FIT

Rig Requirements

Stock 4x4
Yes; 4x4 strongly preferred (AGF)
High clearance
Recommended; many sections high-clearance 4x4 only
Tires
31-inch (AGF judgment)
Rear locker
No
Front locker
No
Winch
Recommended (AGF judgment)
Full-size
Limited
Body damage
Low-moderate risk

Use a high-clearance 4x4 for the full byway (Recreation.gov: many sections high-clearance 4x4 only). The 31-inch tire and winch entries are AGF judgment, not official requirements. Full-size and long-wheelbase rigs should take care on narrow native-surface sections, creek crossings and limited turnarounds. Carry A/T tires, a full-size spare, a shovel and recovery gear, offline maps, communications, water and a fuel margin. Do not enter if rain threatens.

TRIP PLANNING

Know Before You Go

Season
No fixed season; dry weather only. Avoid winter, runoff and rain (BLM). The Lower Two Calf / Two Calf Trail choice may be under the CMR Refuge seasonal road closure, Aug. 28–March 1 (USFWS): verify
Typical trip
2–3 hours in good dry conditions (Visit Montana, secondary); longer with stops
Camping
James Kipp Campground, Apr. 1–Dec. 1, 34 sites, first come (Recreation.gov)
Trailer parking
Limited (AGF); verify before towing in
Turnaround
Limited; use pullouts and intersections (AGF)
  • 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. General antelope season opens Oct. 10.
  • James Kipp: Recreation.gov says the potable water system is shut down, and BLM has shut the water off in fall before; 2026 status unknown. Bring water. The Kipp access road ices up in winter (BLM, 2016).
  • Middle Two Calf Road was closed from 2016 to December 2021 after washouts and reopened with new concrete crossings (BLM). Current status: verify.
  • A USFWS prescribed burn (Two Calf Unit A, about 2,210 acres) burned in the middle Two Calf drainage in April 2026 (BLM). Expect a burn scar; burned slopes may shed mud onto roads after rain (AGF advice).
  • Refuge contacts: CMR headquarters 406-538-8706; Sand Creek Field Station 406-464-5181 (USFWS). Refuge roads other than the main routes "are primitive and passable only in dry weather," and "with any precipitation, conditions can change rapidly, and roads may be impassable" (USFWS rules). Drinking water is generally unavailable (USFWS).
  • Fire restrictions for Fergus, Blaine and Phillips counties and the refuge were not found; check before any campfire.
SOURCES

Sources & Review

Last reviewed Oct. 8, 2026. No current condition report exists, the byway is impassable when wet, and the refuge segment may be under a seasonal road closure until March 1. AGF has not run this route.

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.