Montana, known as Big Sky Country, is the fourth largest state covering more than 147,000 square miles of some of the most pristine forests, lakes, rivers and mountains in the United States. Montana residents are proud of their natural wonders and enjoy sharing their ATV trails and camping from Glacier to Yellowstone and gems in between.
Montana ATV Trails Use
An all-terrain vehicle, or ATV, is a "quadricycle, three or four wheels, width of less than 50-inches," according to Montana's Fish Wildlife and Parks website. By law, ATVs may not be driven on Montana's public highways. According to the Inventory of Montana's Trail System report, the U.S. Forest Service, or USFS, manages 46 percent of the 1,045 unrestricted ATV trails in Montana. The Bureau of Land Management, Native American tribes, Fish Wildlife and Parks and private land owners manage the balance of all ATV trails.
Glacier Park Area
Glacier Meadow RV Park and Campground offers breathtaking views of mountains, a playground for kids, showers, restrooms, free WiFi, shuffle board and a pavilion with a fireplace. ATV trails on Skyland Road provide a rare opportunity to take in the grandeur of the area. Tent sites are available for $20 per night. Vacationers may reserve a site online. The privately owned campground is 16 miles West of the East Glacier Park entrance.
Helena--South Central Area
Helena, the capital city is located in Lewis and Clark County. The surrounding area has numerous camping and ATV trails. The Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, supervises ATV trails located near Helena in Basin, Clancy and Scratchgravel Hills. The BLM website, blm.gov/mt/st/en.html provides valuable information about these no fee ATV wooded mountainous trails.
Nearby, the USFS offers free or nominal fee camp sites. In addition, low-cost wilderness cabins and lookout sites are available for stays limited to five days. An example is the Bar Gulch Cabin located near Canyon Ferry Lake. Privately owned, Kim's Marina located on Canyon Ferry Lake offers reasonably priced camp sites with full amenities.
The Bitterroot/Sapphire Mountains
Bitterroot Adventures located in Darby, Montana offers guided ATV tours of the magnificent Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains located 65 miles south of Missoula. This option includes a licensed guide, lunch, helmet and a Polaris Sportsman 4X4 ATV. Tours are offered for beginners and seasoned ATV riders and the cost is very reasonable. Reasonably priced camping sites are available on the U.S. Forest Service campgrounds site in Rombo, Spring Gulch, Indian Trees, Warm Springs and Alta Campgrounds.
West Yellowstone
Visitors cannot ride ATVs into Yellowstone Park. However, there are numerous ATV trails around West Yellowstone managed by the US Forest Service. Campgrounds may be found on the Forest Service website or at Yellowstoneparknet.com.
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