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Posted: 3/31/2017 11:11:24 PM EDT
[#1]
Normally that road is not in any condition to drive a full size truck down. If you are planning on trying you would need at the minimum off road tires. A chainsaw is also a must because of down trees. Unless its changed in recent years its more of a ATV/Jeep trail than a road for quite a bit of it.
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Posted: 4/2/2017 12:04:07 AM EDT
[#2]
Hmm. Well that was what I was looking for. Maybe I will call up the forest service and see what they say.
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Posted: 4/2/2017 1:51:19 PM EDT
[#3]
It's usually a good road and your truck will do just fine. My wife and I have driven it several times from Red River Ranger Station to Darby. Last snow to melt is usually at Salmon Mountian. We usually take two days and camp out in the middle somewhere. Take a shovel and tow rope and a chainsaw for firewood. It usually opens mid July but this year may be later. It still can freeze in the mornings and get 90° during the day. Lots of Quads as well as SUV's, trucks and such. If you can, take a four wheeler along for the side trips to the old lookouts, they are a must to see, but I'm sure your truck can also do this as they are just rocky jeep roads. Yes, it is a good idea to call the forest service. Pic is from July 13th a day or two after the road opened at Salmon Mtn.
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Posted: 4/3/2017 2:10:17 PM EDT
[#4]
A buddy and I did it on bikes in mid August 2015. I dont remember any part of the road that would have been impassable in a capable 4wd vehicle. Be prepared for downed timber across the road, and flat tires, there are some very rough, rocky spots. The scenery is phenomenal!
The Idaho side starting point just out of Elk City: 
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Posted: 4/3/2017 2:39:08 PM EDT
[#5]
Nice picture! That's where we started after coming up the hill from Mackay Bar.
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Posted: 4/3/2017 11:39:52 PM EDT
[#6]
Nice bike- always wanted to get an adventure bike. Cover a lot more ground and do it in style.
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Posted: 4/4/2017 3:32:04 AM EDT
[#7]
I traveled the entire road from Elk City into MT about 5 years ago. Was a fun trip, camped along the way. Two full size SUV's and zero issues.
Craziest thing was about half way along the trail we came across a plain 4 door import sedan with two elderly couples inside just cruising down the road like they were sign to the store... |
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Posted: 4/25/2017 6:59:17 PM EDT
[#8]
Me and a friend did a week in late Sept, last year. You will do fine. I had a F250 and small trailer that I pulled in from the Idaho side. We parked 10 miles in at Mt meadow camp ground. From there we took a 4 wheeler and pull a trailer loaded with the camping stuff.
1st night was granite springs camp ground. It was burnt the year before and not a lot there. We then moved on to Poet Creek and made camp. It's was beautiful and had a shitter. This was base camp for the next few days. We went to Burnt Knob look out. Don't try that in a pickup. The road to the look out is not maintained and rough. Dry Saddle is a larger camp ground and we met a Subaru on the road near there. The road was just wide enough for one vehicle and I backed up for a little ways until they could pass. 
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Posted: 4/25/2017 7:28:10 PM EDT
[#9]
Pretty cool!
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Posted: 4/25/2017 8:38:08 PM EDT
[#10]
Awesome!
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Posted: 4/26/2017 10:09:10 AM EDT
[#11]
Granite Creek camp ground. There is water available there.
Poet Creek camp 
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Posted: 5/6/2017 10:52:58 AM EDT
[#12]
Driven it many times in the SxS as a guide. I have passed pickups with 10' campers on them and even some travel trailers. Not saying they were smart just what I have seen. There are some great vistas, but each year there are more acres burnt. Poet creek is a great place to camp and you have to make the trip up to Burnt knob. If you are in any vehicle other than a SxS, quad, or Jeep plan on walking up to burnt knob as the road is not really good for anything other than those rigs. Saw a guy try it with a dually pickup and 10" camper one time. Didn't make it up the road and had to bad down. If you are going to spend some time around there you can also visit Dixie and go on to McKay bar, again if you are in the above 3 rigs you can go down to the bar. But if you are in a fullsize pickup I would stop at the top and look the situation over before committing to going down the last grade into the Salmon river.
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Posted: 5/6/2017 1:12:27 PM EDT
[#13]
Looking down on Mackay Bar
And a small piece of the road in. Heavy rains the last few years have rutted the road in places. 
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Posted: 5/6/2017 5:27:02 PM EDT
[#14]
Awesome. My cousin suggested he might be interested in going with me, in which case we might take his duel sports.
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Posted: 5/6/2017 6:17:00 PM EDT
[#15]
Idahoskunk, what rig did you drive down to MacKay bar. I once passed a Geo Metro coming out of there, spinning the front tires all the way out. Couple years ago there was a rock about 4' in diameter that had rolled down the hill stopping in the road about halfway down. Could barely get the SxS's around it. That country is barren after the fires through there but still very beautiful country.
If you like to read, find the book called "This Bloody Trail". It is the book about Magruders last ride and the accounts of the robbery and his death. About 5 years ago I ran into some guys that were retracing the supposed trail of the robbers looking for the gold the robbers were suppose to of hid somewhere in those mountains. |
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Posted: 5/6/2017 9:04:08 PM EDT
[#16]
I have only done the Magruder one time using a Polaris RZR in 2014. I do go through Dixie to Mackay a couple times per year as I have a small cabin there. I usually take my GMC Yukon or Ford PU in when I go by road.
The other times it's by boat or air. I live between Star and Meridian so by land it takes about eight hours depending on what I'm drinking. It's six hours by boat through Riggins and up the river and only 55 minutes by air sober. I would love to do the Magruder again and take a little more time. I may have read the book but can't remember, I'll check and if not I'll get it! Fall 
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Posted: 5/7/2017 8:55:01 AM EDT
[#17]
Awesome, So your cabin is on the river then. Across the river on the bar or are you upriver on the same side as the road? I have watched a couple You tube videos of how to land an airplane at the Bar and must say that first time must be a real lifter of the neck hair.
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Posted: 5/7/2017 10:42:15 AM EDT
[#18]
Yes it's across the river on the bar. A couple or few years ago our BLM closed that road on the north side at Wilson Bar. So now you can't go up to the old mines unless you want to hike, which isn't bad unless it's 90° and you wanted to take a picnic lunch and a cooler full of beer.
I don't want to hijack this thread but if anybody here comes off the hill while we're there I'll be happy to buy you a cold beer or two. 
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Posted: 5/7/2017 11:18:54 AM EDT
[#19]
When we go again I will PM you to see if you are going to be there. Have a great summer.
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Posted: 5/7/2017 1:10:31 PM EDT
[#20]
Absolutely! Please do, we have sat internet up there so that would work.
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Posted: 5/11/2017 3:37:27 PM EDT
[#21]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
Idahoskunk, what rig did you drive down to MacKay bar. I once passed a Geo Metro coming out of there, spinning the front tires all the way out. Couple years ago there was a rock about 4' in diameter that had rolled down the hill stopping in the road about halfway down. Could barely get the SxS's around it. That country is barren after the fires through there but still very beautiful country. If you like to read, find the book called "This Bloody Trail". It is the book about Magruders last ride and the accounts of the robbery and his death. About 5 years ago I ran into some guys that were retracing the supposed trail of the robbers looking for the gold the robbers were suppose to of hid somewhere in those mountains. |
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Posted: 5/18/2017 12:54:19 AM EDT
[#22]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
There is also a book called "This Bloody Deed" that accounts that same thing. I'll have to get the one you mentioned. |
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Posted: 7/9/2017 8:54:28 PM EDT
[#23]
When did they change the name from the Nez Perce Trail/Montana Rd./FS Road 468?
I lived up in Elk City and in Darby/Conner for years and never heard anybody refer to that road by anything else. |
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Posted: 7/9/2017 8:59:54 PM EDT
[#24]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I have only done the Magruder one time using a Polaris RZR in 2014. I do go through Dixie to Mackay a couple times per year as I have a small cabin there. I usually take my GMC Yukon or Ford PU in when I go by road. The other times it's by boat or air. I live between Star and Meridian so by land it takes about eight hours depending on what I'm drinking. It's six hours by boat through Riggins and up the river and only 55 minutes by air sober. I would love to do the Magruder again and take a little more time. I may have read the book but can't remember, I'll check and if not I'll get it! Fall https://www.AR15.Com/media/mediaFiles/81803/m-barfall07-203107.jpg  We used to snowmobile from Elk City to Dixie - just to drink beer. Then we'd swing up to Red River hot springs to spend the night and soak.
Damn I miss living up in that country. 
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Posted: 7/11/2017 11:51:19 AM EDT
[#25]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
When did they change the name from the Nez Perce Trail/Montana Rd./FS Road 468? I lived up in Elk City and in Darby/Conner for years and never heard anybody refer to that road by anything else. |
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Posted: 7/11/2017 1:08:42 PM EDT
[#26]
Quote HistoryQuoted:
I don't know that they did. I just saw one of those outdoor Idaho specials on it, and I remember camping trips with my dad around Elk city, where he told me he always wanted to take the road over to Montana. I saw that special on TV and realized it was the road he had talked about. That link makes references to a lot of places that were my old stomping grounds for several years. I even worked that big project fire the year Yellowstone burnt up so badly. ('88?) 860,000 acres burned in the Frank Church. One of the highlights of that fire was taking a 212 to Horse Haven Saddle cabin and wrapping it entirely in fire shelters. Looked like a huge Hershey Kiss when we got done. Kept it from burning too. I'm really familiar with Bargamin and Sabe crick drainages and the Sheep Hill area all the way to the main fork. I guided in that area for several years. The picture of the bridge at Bargamin crick is where I used to cache beer in the crick for the drive back to Elk City. 
I sure miss it.
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