
Driving the challenging road to Hellroaring Plateau in Montana
Usa, north-america
10.62 km
3,020 m
hard
Year-round
Montana's Hellroaring Plateau sits way up high at 9,908 feet, right in the heart of Carbon County. Seriously, this road isn't messing around – it's one of the highest you'll find in the whole state and a proper challenge for experienced drivers.
Tucked away in southern Montana, practically hugging the Wyoming border inside the Custer Gallatin National Forest, you'll find it.
Back in the 30s, they built this road to get to the chrome deposits up on the plateau.
It's called Hellroaring Road (or Forest Service Road 2412/421 if you're feeling official). And heads up, it's all dirt. There's even an older, less-used road that keeps climbing past the main parking area, topping out at 10,862 feet!
Now, this isn't your Sunday drive kind of road. Think rough, potholed, and rocky, with sections that squeeze down to a single lane – awkward when someone's coming the other way! And yeah, no guardrails. You're gonna want a high-clearance vehicle, like a truck or SUV.
Winter? Forget about it. You'll probably only be able to drive it mid-summer when things dry out. But hey, the views are totally worth it!
Starting from the Beartooth Highway (US-212), it's about 6.6 miles to the plateau. You'll climb 2,782 feet in that short distance, so buckle up for an average gradient of almost 8%.
Where is it?
Driving the challenging road to Hellroaring Plateau in Montana is located in Usa (north-america). Coordinates: 40.9979, -96.7113
Road Details
- Country
- Usa
- Continent
- north-america
- Length
- 10.62 km
- Max Elevation
- 3,020 m
- Difficulty
- hard
- Coordinates
- 40.9979, -96.7113
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