Gravelly Range Road (1 Viewer)

[pigmony]

I've got Friday off and the wife is doing something with her mother so I figure, if I leave early, I have a solid half day to go play in the 40. I've been interested in checking out the Gravelly Range road for a while. Is it reasonable to think I can get to Ennis from Bozeman, drive some (probably not all) of the road, find my way back out to 287, and get back to Bozeman by noon?

 

[90WT]

It's been a few years since I was last up there. As I recall it took me about 2 hours to get from Bozeman to the edge of the Beaverhead National Forest going up the Call Road. 45.15580, -111.80184
Black Butte may be a good turn around spot for your half day adventure. It's pretty stunning.
I made the big loop clockwise and came out at Ruby Reservoir, then Virginia City (ice cream stop), Ennis. It was a full day.

 

[elkun1]

Depends how early you leave, if you want some company I should be around. Haven't been in the gravelys for years

 

[pigmony]

Google Maps estimates about 5.5 hours if I make my way out from Black Butte to 287, and the roads all look like real roads on the satellite images. Would you consider the roads halfway smooth, like the road to Fairy Lake, or less road more suggestion?

@elkun1 I'd normally be all for some company, but I don't know how reliable I can actually be this weekend. I may be a little overly optimistic about how much I can actually fit into this weekend and I don't want to say I'll be there and then bail.

 

[90WT]

As I recall, Call Road and the main Gravelly Range Road were pretty good. Nothing too rough. I didn't explore the side roads feeding East to 287.

 

[REZARF]

Air down and mash the gas...

Sounds like a fun trip!

 

[elkun1]

Google Maps estimates about 5.5 hours if I make my way out from Black Butte to 287, and the roads all look like real roads on the satellite images. Would you consider the roads halfway smooth, like the road to Fairy Lake, or less road more suggestion?

@elkun1 I'd normally be all for some company, but I don't know how reliable I can actually be this weekend. I may be a little overly optimistic about how much I can actually fit into this weekend and I don't want to say I'll be there and then bail.

Aw heck, I'm used to that. Most trail rides are that way. If I don't go that way might run up to the elkhorns and nose around. You takin the 40

 

[pigmony]

The plan is to take the 40. I was moving vehicles around last night and the wife noticed I don't have any rear lights. An hour in the driveway in the rain and I have everything other than my passenger brake light working. With some luck I'll have that repaired at lunch today. I'm really looking forward to rewiring the old truck.

 

[90WT]

@pigmony Did you get up there? Lots of people? See the sheep herders?

 

[pigmony]

Nope, I ended up with a parasitic drain, a dead battery, and a renewed motivation to completely gut my electrical system.

 

[rc51kid]

Wish you had made it. We were up there all weekend. The road conditions are great right now. Weather was beautiful with some afternoon thunder showers. Really stunning road. There are a few unimproved roads that might be a little tougher but most just run out and dead end. I did see one unimproved roadthat ran between fs 100 and fs290 that looked like it might be fun but I didnt go up it. We were on motorcycles at that time and doing a different route.

On a side note our first night some seriously drunk and high guys drove into our camp to see if I could help get his stuck truck out of some mud. It was a sketchy bunch of guys but I figured I would help them out. I followed them out and found a quad cab duramax barrier to the axles and totally high centered. I was a little unsure but the winch had him out about 10 min.

 

[pigmony]

Hopefully I can get my wiring sorted out well enough to make it out in the next couple weekends. I had hoped I could hold the rewire off until this winter. We'll see.