April 2, 2008

In December of 2007 the Forest Service released the Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map for the Gallatin National Forest. The new map is valid only until November 30 2008. The winter maps are an improvement over the new summer maps, showing more detail so it’s easier to figure out what you are actually looking at. They also display the areas now open and closed to motorized use under the new Gallatin Travel Plan.

Some closures are year-long, others are seasonal. The seasonal closures are from October 15 to December 1, mainly to protect wildlife during hunting season by limiting access.
Significant year-long closures are now in effect in the Brackett Creek and Fairy Lake area of the Bridger Range, Hyalite Canyon and some of the Hyalite-Porcupine-Buffalo Horn Wilderness Study Area, and in portions of the Taylor Fork and the Crazy Mountains.

Unfortunately, closure boundaries are pretty vague on the map, and could easily be misread or ignored while a snowmobiler was in a remote area where boundaries may or may not be marked.

Another major problem is that the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail goes right through the middle of a large closure area between Portal Creek and Buffalo Horn Creek. Any snowmobiler tempted to stray off the ungroomed trail is in violation of the closure.

I made several trips on skis into closed areas this winter. Snowmobilers are violating the new closures on a regular basis, despite well-posted closures.

On March 13, I found that snowmobilers – or someone – even took it on themselves to post their own official-looking signs, declaring the popular Hyalite Canyon Trail # 434 open to snowmobiles in direct contradiction with the new closure order and the winter trail maps. Not surprisingly, the trail has received fairly heavy snowmobile use.

I also found fairly heavy use by snowmobilers in the closure area at Brackett Creek in the Bridgers, and other people have found the same problem. I even met a couple of the snowmobilers one day, headed in the try and retrieve a broken-down machine – and to do some skiing while they were at it, using their gas-powered, portable ski lift.

Yesterday, April 1, I found more evidence of heavy use by snowmobilers in the closed area on the North Fork of Brackett Creek in the Bridgers. Snowmobilers are allowed in the upper part of the drainage, but are only allowed to access it via the new road 973 off Battle Ridge. However, they are coming in from several directions, using old access routes now closed.

On the positive side, Hyalite Canyon was plowed twice this winter, allowing better access than in many years and providing a lot of great opportunities for cross country skiers, ice climbers, snowshoers, ice fishers, sledders and anyone else who wants access to the deep snow there. The Forest Service has also been doing some patrols in Hyalite, checking for use violations and even writing some tickets.

Hyalite Canyon road closed as of yesterday (April 1) for the season, so the place will get some much-needed rest. However, no doubt snowmobilers will take advantage of the closure and the current deep snowpack to ride in there and poach on closed terrain.

All in all the winter travel situation has improved on the Gallatin, with more opportunities for quiet recreation. Get out there this spring and summer, let me know what you see, and help bring sanity, peace and quiet back to our big back yard - the Gallatin National Forest.



Illegal sign posted by snowmobiles so they can encourage others to violate the closure order.


Forest Service closure sign at Grotto Falls trailhead, Hyalite Canyon


Snowmobile tracks on Hyalite Canyon Trail #434, closed to snowmobiles.


Phil skis along Hyalite Creek. Photo by Tom Skeele.

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-Phil Knight

On a cool, cloudy October 13, Don Jackson and I ventured forth onto the Elkhorn Creek Trail #165, with the goal of reaching and walking some of Trail #199, Elkhorn Ridge. Elkhorn Creek trail, which begins at Redcliff Campground, has been closed to motorized use for years and will remain so in the Gallatin Travel Plan. However, Trail 199 is open to motorcycles and the new travel plan will still allow motorcyclists to use it. Trail 199 is also part of the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail, the longest trail on the Gallatin Forest, stretching from near West Yellowstone to near Bozeman. It travels north/south from Porcupine Creek to Buffalo Horn Creek, between Elkhorn and Blizzard Ridges.

The Elkhorn/Blizzard Ridge area is remote, high-quality wildlife habitat. I lobbied during the travel planning process to get Trail 199 closed to motor vehicles for this reason. Few people use much of this trail, and it provides superb access for hunting on foot or horseback. Like many trails open to motorcycles on the Gallatin, this one is fortunately only open July 16 to September 4 for wheeled motorized use. However, the season for snowmobiling opens legally on December 1, with no meaningful closing date in the spring, so motorized use is actually allowed on Trail 199 for over half the year, depending on snowpack.

So far, the Gallatin has not issued any new winter use map, and it remains to be seen if they will issue a separate map this winter governing snowmobile use.

During our day-long hike in the Elkhorn area, Don and I were glad to find no signs of motorized use. There were a few mountain bike tracks on Trail 165, but they did not go far. Since there was a fair amount of snow and mud on the trail, we were able to do some tracking, and found sign of moose, elk, coyotes, black bear, grizzly bear and wolf. The wolf tracks were on Trail 199.

We did find that the Forest Service has constructed a new snowmobile bridge at the junction of Trail 199 and 165, where 199 crosses Elkhorn Creek. The old bridge is still in place and is actually aligned better for trail travelers, so the new bridge and its purpose were a bit of a mystery. In addition, there is a sign instructing snowmobilers to stay on the trail, but the sign is placed as to be nearly invisible from the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail/199.

The fact that we found no sign of motorcycle use shows that so far, motorcyclists have little interest in using Trail 199. However, closure of other trails and increasing recreational pressure on the Gallatin could change that. Meanwhile we have the photos to show that as of now, this is a lightly used, single-track trail. I highly recommend it for a remote backcountry experience in the Gallatin Range. But leave the machines at home.

-Phil Knight



Old and new snowmobile bridges cross Elkhorn Creek on Trail 199.



Sign at junction of trails 165 and 199.


Don Jackson enjoys space and solitude on Trail 199. As it should be.

I returned to Bear Canyon on October 10, to follow up on the survey I did July 1 and to check out reports that the new trail has been widened. It has indeed, and is now wide enough to allow passage of 4 wheel ATVs. While this is no surprise, I was surprised that the widening was done so quickly, and that the new single-track hiking trail - just built this spring - had already been abandoned and destroyed to make way for motor vehicles.

The Forest Service , pressured by the rancher that has the grazing allotment in Bear Canyon, rushed through this trail reconstruction so the rancher won't complain next year. And Gallatin County continues to push for the old Bear Canyon road/trail to be re-opened because it is a "traditional" access route.

The good news is that the trail is still closed to motor vehicles and bicycles. However, this is likely to be a very temporary situation, as evidenced by the hastily made closure sign (see photo - can you spot the typo??).

I have also heard from several people that are disappointed that the old trail will no longer be available for cross country skiing. Bear Canyon was one of the most popular and accessible cross country ski destinations in the Bozeman area, suitable for beginners. The new trail will not be nearly as friendly for skiing.

I'm appalled at the amount of disturbance caused by trail building on the scenic hillside the trail traverses. Keep Bear Canyon in mind as the Forest Service prepares to build other new ATV trails on the Gallatin (with at least 6 such trails in the works).

And no doubt, now that the access trail has been widened, the canyon will soon be open again to noisy, polluting, trail-wrecking ORVs. Nothing has been done to improve or close trails further back in the canyon, such as Bear Lakes Loop #440, which has been severely damaged by many years of ORV use.


Bear Canyon - will ORVs again disturb the peace here?



Heavy handed trail construction has obliterated the newly made hiking trail, turning it into an ORV road.


New switchbacks, built this fall.



Make way for machines!



ORV ruts in a wet meadow on al illegal, user-created route in Bear Canyon. This sort of damage will continue when Bear Canyon is re-opened to motor vehicles.

Greetings trail travelers,

Swan Creek is a magnificent, 11-mile long valley on the west side of the Gallatin Range. The lower portion of it is roadless and fairly wild, but a logging road crosses the creek far back in the drainage, and there a re a lot of old clearcuts, a legacy of Plum Creek's rapacious logging in the 70's and 80's. Swan Creek has a small campground with a paved road that leads to a trailhead for Trail #186. For about 2 miles, this is a real pleasant single track trail crossing just above an amazing wet meadow where moose and beaver may be seen.

About 2 miles back, however, the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail travels through the Swan Creek drainage. This snowmobile road, which leads from West Yellowstone to near Bozeman, is a major intrusion into wild, road less country and is supposed to be open ONLY to snowmobiles, but 4-wheel ATVs use it regularly, leaving obvious damage. I documented this illegal motorized use way back in 2001 and reported it to the Forest Service, but as usual nothing has changed on the ground, other than the damage getting worse.

On October 4 I went back to Swan Creek, and walked a ways up the creek, where the snowmobile trail has been built right along the creek bank. Here's what I found.

-Phil Knight



Swan Creek, on the west side of the Gallatin Range, essential habitat for wildlife such as bears, elk, moose, wolverine goshawk and wolf.



Black Bear and Coyote tracks mingle on Trail #186, Swan Creek.



Here the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail has been propped up with a makeshift structure to keep riders from falling into the creek!



The Big Sky Snowmobile Trail includes these obnoxious road signs, placed in a wild and remote setting. Does this feel like the wilderness to you?



A poor excuse for a bridge, where the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail crosses a spring creek along Swan Creek.



Riders on 4 wheel ATVs avoid the dangerous "bridge" and ride through the spring creek, damaging the banks.



Wheel ruts on the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail, obvious evidence that people illegally ride here on their 4 wheel ATVs.



Nature finds a way to temporarily close the Big Sky Snowmobile Trail.