Off-Road Prohibitions in Wilderness Study Areas

Order Number: #01020025-03

U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Forest Service 
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest 
Pintler and Wisdom Ranger Districts

Forest Order - Off-Road Prohibitions in Wilderness Study Areas

PROHIBITIONS

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a), the following acts are prohibited on the Pintler and Wisdom Ranger Districts of the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest:

1. Possession or operation of motorized vehicles off any National Forest System roads within the areas described below and shown on the attached maps, which are hereby incorporated into this Order as Exhibits B through D. (36 C.F.R. § 261.56)

EXEMPTIONS

Pursuant to 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e), the following persons are exempt from this Order:

1. Persons with a special authorization or other Forest Service authorization specifically exempting them from the effect of this order. 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e)(1)
2. Any Federal, State or Local Law Enforcement Officer or member of an organized rescue or fire fighting force in the performance of an official duty. 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e)(4)
3. For purposes of this order, “Motorized Vehicles” does not include over snow vehicles (OSV) as defined at 36 C.F.R. 212.1. OSV use on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is managed pursuant to 36 C.F.R. 212 Subpart C and 36 C.F.R. 261.14. 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(e)(6)

DESCRIBED AREA

The prohibition applies to all National Forest System (NFS) lands depicted on the attached maps (Exhibits B through D), which are hereby incorporated into this Order, and are generally described below. Georeferenced digital (PDF) versions of these maps are available on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest website at https://www.fs.usda.gov/bdnf /alerts-notices. These PDF maps are designed for use on GPS-enabled mobile devices and can be displayed on any PDF reader. When viewed in an installed mobile map application, each map is designed so that the user's location can be displayed on screen in real time.

Sapphire Wilderness Study Area

Located on the Pintler Ranger District. The northern boundary begins in T.6N., R.17W., Section 31 at the Ravalli-Granite County line and heads southeast below Mud Lake through T.6N., R.17W., Section 32, T.5N., R.17W., Sections 5 and 4 before turning south just inside Section 3. From there the boundary extends southwest through T.5N., R.17W., Sections 9 and 8, just to the west of West Fork Road and the West Fork of Rock Creek, and into Section 17, where it crosses Bowles Creek. In Section 18, it begins to turn south/southeast through T.5N., R.17W., Sections 19 and 30, where it crosses a tributary of the West Fork of Rock Creek and extends southeast, crossing Signal Rock Trail in T.5N., R.17W., Section 31 before turning sharply east through Sections 32 and 33. From there, it heads southeast towards T.4N., R.17W., Section 11, crossing Falls Creek below Medicine Lake and then turns northeast through T.4N., R.17W., Section 12 and T.4N., R.16W., Sections 7, 6, 5, and 4, below Moose Meadows. The boundary then turns south and southeast through T.4N., R.16W., Sections 9 and 16, where it crosses Moose Meadow Creek and extends into Section 15 before heading south towards Lone Pine Ridge and then southwest into T.4N., R.16W., Sections 21and 28. From there it continues southwest through Sections 29 and 32 where it crosses Green Canyon Creek and extends southwest into T.3N., R.16W., Section 6 and T.3N., R.17W., Section 1 where it then turns sharply south and crosses Frog Pond Road in T.3N., R.17W., Section 12 and continues east towards Copper Creek Trail in T.3N., R.16W., Section 8. It then heads northeast through Sagebrush Flat to the west of Lutz Creek before crossing it in T.3N., R.16W., Section 4 and continues northeast into Section 3 and T.4N., R.16W., Sections 34 and Section 35. From there it turns southeast through T.3N., R.16W., Sections 2 and 1 and then heads sharply south through the middle of Section 12 and into Section 13 before turning southwest towards Senate Mountain in T.3N., R.16W., Section 23. In Section 23 it meets with the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness boundary, which it parallels as it dips south into Section 27 before turning sharply north and then southwest through T.3N., R.16W., Sections 22, 21, and 28, where it crosses Copper Creek again and continues into Sections 29 and 32. In Section 32, its boundary then meets with the Granite-Ravalli County line and parallels it along with the Bitterroot National Forest boundary for the remainder of its border back to its northernmost boundary in T.6N., R.17W., Section 31.

West Pioneer Wilderness Study Area

Located on the Wisdom Ranger District. The northwestern boundary begins in T.1S., R.13W., Section 5 and follows the section line east, crossing Toomey Creek in Section 4, through Trident Meadows, crossing Bryant, Alder, and Meadow Creeks to its northeastern boundary in T.1S., R.12W., Section 3. It then heads south along the section line, crossing Deno Creek and intersecting with the Pioneer Loop National Recreation Trail, then crossing Stine Creek before extending to Ross Gulch in T.1S., R.12W., Section 34 where it then heads southwest through T.2S., R.12W., Section 3. From there its boundary turns south along the section line, crossing Pettengill Creek and staying west of Pettengill, Fourth of July, Lodgepole, and Willow Campgrounds. In T.2S., R.12W., Section 28, it then turns southwest through Section 33 to the west of Maurice Pond and then west along the section line to T.2S., R.13W., Section 35 where it turns south through the middle of T.3S., R.13W., Section 2 and parallels Skull Creek before turning sharply east and northeast through the middle of T.3S., R.13W., Section 1 and then southeast around the base of Table Mountain. From the bottom of T.3S., R.12W., Section 7, it then heads southwest through T.3S., R.12W., Section 18 where it crosses Crozier Creek and extends southwest crossing Table, Stringer, and Odell Creeks before turning south in Section 26 and then east along the section line. At Seymore Mountain in T.3S., R.12W., Section 31, its boundary turns south, following the section line and crossing Mono Creek to T.4S., R.12W., Section 19 where it intersects and runs parallel to Grasshopper Creek before turning west and zig-zagging along the section line south of Maverick Mountain in T.4S., R.13W., Section 35. From there it then heads west along the section line crossing Old Tim Creek and continues to T.4S., R.13W., Section 31 and then extends northwest towards Clemow Cow Camp, sharing a boundary with the private inholding, before turning sharply west crossing Warm Springs Creek and continuing along the section line to T.4S., R.14W., Section 20. From there it heads north, eventually crossing the North Fork of Sheep Creek in T.3S., R.14W., Section 32 and continues north, crossing Sand Creek, then heads northeast and then northwest into Section 8 before turning sharply east and crossing Wisconsin Creek, then continues north, passing just east of Steel Creek Campground and Steel Creek Guard Station in T.3S., R.14W., Section 4. From there it continues north then northeast between Proposal Rock and Lily Lake in T.2S., R.14W., Section 28 and crosses the South and Middle Forks of Doolittle Creek in T.2S., R.14W., Sections 15 and 11. Where it intersects Doolittle Creek Trail in T.2S., R.14W., Section 1, its boundary then heads northwest and then north along the section line before turning northeast across Shaw and Papoose Creeks then turning north and crossing Squaw Creek and Squaw Creek Trail, returning to its northwestern boundary in T.1S., R.13W., Section 5.

For the purposes of this order, motorized travel off NFS roads (cross-country travel) is defined as:

• The passage of motorized vehicles depresses undisturbed ground and crushes vegetation (see Figure 1 in attached Exhibit A.)
• The motorized vehicle maximum width (the distance from the outside of the left tire to the outside of the right tire or maximum tire width for motorcycles) does not easily fit the road or trail profile (see Figures 2 and 3 in attached Exhibit A).
• Motorized vehicle use of livestock and game trails (see Figure 4 in attached Exhibit A).

Exhibit A, which is hereby incorporated into this order, includes photographic examples of the above definitions.

PURPOSE

This prohibition is necessary to implement the 2009 Record of Decision for the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Final Environmental Impact Statement and Revised Land and Resource Management Plan, which restricts motorized vehicles to open motorized routes, thereby prohibiting motorized travel off NFS roads (cross-country travel) on National Forest System (NFS) lands.

IMPLEMENTATION

1. This Order shall be in effect from March 28, 2025, at 24:00 through March 28, 2028, at 24:00, unless rescinded.
2. Maps identifying the Described Area are attached and made part of this Order as Exhibits B through D. For a digital version of this Order and Map Exhibits B through D, go to https://www.fs.usda.gov/bdnf/alerts-notices.
3. Unless otherwise expressly defined in this Order, the terms used in this Order are defined by the regulations of the Secretary of Agriculture, 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299. If there are terms in this Order that are not expressly defined in the Order or 36 C.F.R. Chapter II, Parts 200-299, their meaning shall be determined by their plain language definitions.
4. A violation of the above prohibitions is punishable as a Class B misdemeanor by a fine of not more than $5,000 for individuals and $10,000 for organizations, or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both. 16 U.S.C. § 551; 18 U.S.C.§§ 3559, 3571, and 3581.
5. Contact the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Supervisor’s Office in Dillon, MT, (406) 683-3900, for more information about this Order.

This Order supersedes any previous Orders prohibiting the same or similar acts in/on the same Described Areas.

/s/Alfred Watson 
Forest Supervisor 
Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest