Lewis and Clark Lolo Motorway (report w/o FWC)

[kmcintyre]

We just got back from mtn biking the Lolo Motorway. Wow! If you want an adventure, this would be an awesome trip with your camper. Lots of places to do some remote camping. Road is pretty good in most places with some rough spots but nothing that would keep a high clearance vehicle from doing it. We camped along the way with a sag vehicle and stayed at the fire lookout along the way (have to make reservations a long time in advance). The road had just opened so if you plan to do it next year, you have to wait until they officially open it (or stop often and use a chain saw on 12 - 24" trees that have fallen).

Overall a great trip. There were some springs for water (had to filter it) and a few lakes that you could top off your rig. It's about 100 miles total.

We started at Powell Junction (near the Lochsa Lodge) and ended up near the end of the FS 500 trail (the actually Lolo Motorway) where it joins into some logging roads.


Highly recommend it.

Kevin

 

[Lighthawk]

Awesome!
We just did the Magruder, which had it's ups and downs (lot's of burned areas), and had considered the Lolo.
Very cool trip on bikes, I'm sure. Any pics?

 

[kmcintyre]

I have 1000's of pix but will try to post some later if I can compress them down enough. There were some burned areas (more towards the end) but tons of wildflowers and the bear grass? Wow! Also the huckleberries were out in force towards the end, not ripe for the first 50 miles or so. Best year for huckleberries in 35 years they say and based on what I saw, true. We were picking them 5 at a time.

We ran into a motorcycle camper who has done a lot of miles along Lolo and Magruder and said he likes Lolo better. Didn't say why.

Kevin

 

[Lighthawk]

tons of wildflowers and the bear grass?

We saw miles of bear lilies especially in the burned areas on the Magruder. We joked they were surrounding our camper at night.

 

[kmcintyre]

Here's some pictures. You'll see some burned areas but it gives you an idea of the roads, etc. As I mentioned there were some places where you need some high clearance vehicle.