Blacktail

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Blacktail Wild Bill National ORV Recreation
Trail Project

• A US Forest Service and Skyliners 4X4 Club
  Partnership Project

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Blacktail Wild Bill

• Located north of Lake Mary Ronan and west of
  Flathead Lake.
• Designated National ORV Recreation Trail in the
  1970s.
• Goal is to develop world-class destination Jeep
  trail.

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Design Guidelines

• Develop Class 3.5 to 4 4x4 trail
• Challenges designed for modified 4x4 vehicles
  (not suitable for firewood cutters).
• Each challenge needs a 52-inch wide by-pass for
  recreational ATV riders.
• Incorporate drainage structures as directed by FS.

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Design Guidelines continued

• Trailheads need challenge features to discourage
  inappropriate vehicle use
• Information signs located about 100 feet past
  trailhead to reduce vandalism
• More info Andrew Johnson at Swan Lake Ranger
  District

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Original trailhead
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Bypassing trailhead challenge
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Challenge construction pre-position big rocks
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Challenge construction Dig base for rock
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Challenge construction Place big rocks
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Challenge construction Backfill and tamp to
stabilize rocks
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Challenge construction Almost done
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Challenge construction Place natural barriers
to keep rigs on the trail
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The view
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Gravel Waterbar
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Starting New Sign
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Completed New Sign
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Another Challenge
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Lessons Learned

• Much easier to start with a bad road and enhance
  the challenges than to start with a decent road
  like this and build all the challenges.
• Need planning and coordination. Location and
  design of challenges was left up to volunteers,
  creating much confusion.

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Lessons Learned

• Start at the farthest challenge and work back
  towards the source of rocks and gravel so heavy
  equipment can have decent access.
• Use of partnership rather than volunteers took
  liability off FS, allowed work to be done without
  a bunch of mandatory FS training.