Weekend drives (3 Viewers)
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Hey
That works for me. Do you want to meet at the Exxon on the corner of springhill and 19th at 9:00?
Ethan
Hey Chris,
That works for me. Do you want to meet at the Exxon on the corner of springhill and 19th at 9:00?
Ethan
Tentatively.... we are planning to go here:
MONTANA OVERLAND & 4X4 ADVENTURES - http://www.montanaoverland4x4adventures.org/mckelveylaketrail.html
August 10 meet 4 Corners Gas station.... probably 8:30. My daughter heads back to college that morning so it will depend on what she needs to get out the door for me to get there on time.
Right now, it is an idea that is being thrown around. I have true 33" tires and a winch.... if it is too rough I plan to park and jump in with someone.
MONTANA OVERLAND & 4X4 ADVENTURES - http://www.montanaoverland4x4adventures.org/mckelveylaketrail.html
August 10 meet 4 Corners Gas station.... probably 8:30. My daughter heads back to college that morning so it will depend on what she needs to get out the door for me to get there on time.
Right now, it is an idea that is being thrown around. I have true 33" tires and a winch.... if it is too rough I plan to park and jump in with someone.
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you'll know real quick if your up for it on the gate keeper. its about 200 yards into the trail when it starts to get rough. let me know what the swamp looks like. @secretasiansam said he had to winch out the swamp in his 80, pretty sure he's triple locked and 35s
i wouldn't suggest trying for the lake. you could make it to the no tell motel if you are ambitious.
i hope you have sliders because you'll use them. and ive smoked two sets of OEM skids plates on my FJC back in the say on this trail. 33s is gonna be alot of scraping undercarriage. i hope you have a locker because thats gonna come in handy also
this is probs the roughest section of trail ive been on in the state. at least last hill to the lake is. "mini rubicon"
and i dont know about the 5Gs but the 80s like to get body damage coming down the hill in one of the spots. i put a dent in my driver rear, and my friend ashley did the same but broke her tail light last time we were up there.
i wouldn't suggest trying for the lake. you could make it to the no tell motel if you are ambitious.
i hope you have sliders because you'll use them. and ive smoked two sets of OEM skids plates on my FJC back in the say on this trail. 33s is gonna be alot of scraping undercarriage. i hope you have a locker because thats gonna come in handy also
this is probs the roughest section of trail ive been on in the state. at least last hill to the lake is. "mini rubicon"
and i dont know about the 5Gs but the 80s like to get body damage coming down the hill in one of the spots. i put a dent in my driver rear, and my friend ashley did the same but broke her tail light last time we were up there.
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Some vids
@YotaPaullie That area is amazing! I haven't been out there in the summer but have spent a lot of time in the area via snowmobile in the winter. The views from McKelvy are stunning and pretty good from the no-tell motel. I can confirm the rocks get pretty gnarly as @ttFJC said, I have been out there in the spring and had to do some rock crawling on a snowmobile. A lot more work and not nearly as fun as rock crawling in the 4Runner. Heres a couple photos from the winter, first is looking up at Belle Point from cliff lake just above McKelvey lake and the second is from the no-tell motel looking towards McKelvey lake
I have a rear rocker and sliders. I might have to squirrel away for a better lift....... I really don't want to do body damage on a daily driver....
My buddy took his gx up there with me. Put a dent in his rear bumper. Bent a rear lower control arm. You can get around the mud pit to the right.
This is making me move to the position:"Park it and ride up with someone else." I will wrench on my truck, but I don't consider it a relaxing day off. Wrenching for me is more about the destination rather than the journey..... Driving is about the journey not the destination.
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Body damage on this trail is kind of just luck. You slide off one of the ledges and sometimes it throws you into a tree sometimes it doesn’t. Only an issue on the way down. Lift won’t really make a difference.
You’ll hit rear control arm on the gatekeeper on the way in on one side and the way out on another.
Don’t let me talk you out of it. The payoff is 100 percent worth it. Great fishing and 12/10 views
You’ll hit rear control arm on the gatekeeper on the way in on one side and the way out on another.
Don’t let me talk you out of it. The payoff is 100 percent worth it. Great fishing and 12/10 views
Alright.... Alright... just don't want the lose the rig doing something stupid is all. I guess I should embrace more mater that they provide stories and character....
couple of friends went with pioneer to do trail maintenancer this past weekend. some bumpers got ripped off, undoubtedly some body damage. mudhole is getting redonkulas because everyone is driving around it. he had no trouble getting thru it because he stayed on the logs that were layed down. you should be able to make it to the cabin but be warned past there
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i'm toying with the idea of going up there this weekend. any brave souls brave enough to follow the LX up there?
i also dont want to risk breaking the LX before the trip to cooke city next next weekend.
I miss @JohnnyOshow22 i know he would be down to drag the LXs over some rocks with me
just a thought
i also dont want to risk breaking the LX before the trip to cooke city next next weekend.
I miss @JohnnyOshow22 i know he would be down to drag the LXs over some rocks with me
just a thought
I am looking at heading to the Olsen Creek area or maybe Storm Castle down south on Sunday. Anybody have any other ideas?
I have to work this weekend or I would tag along.
If you want to stay close to BZN then a nice loop would be to go over Flathead pass from the BZN side to the back of the Bridgers, Skunk Creek then out Olsen Creek and back to BZN.
How's Flathead Pass for difficulty?
Not a problem on 33"s and a 2" lift, (see below) it is getting more traffic. There are a couple of spots that you will want to pick your line or have a spotter walk you through one or two spots if you can't see the line. Stock Tacomas are common up there. Others can give there more recent observations. Traffic jams may be a more of a problem on the weekend in the middle of the day. Skunk and Olsen Creek will just be dusty.
I did Flathead Pass a couple of times last summer, didn't have any trouble with 32's but there are a couple of tight spots where you have to pick a line carefully. I did scrape my hitch once on the way back down. One of the trips up there I encountered a newer Ford F350 coming down, not sure how he made out but it seems like too narrow a road to fit a vehicle that big comfortably.
