Kootenai National Forest · Montana

Reader Gulch

4.3 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 749 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking, horse, bike, motorcycle, e-bike · motorized use allowed

Trailhead #749 Reader Gulch Trailhead Drive there

#749 Reader Gulch Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up

Reader Gulch Trail #749 starts at Big Beaver Creek and follows a small ridgeline above Reader Gulch and ends on FSR 2254. Be advised that FSR 2254 is closed yearlong making the trail accessible from the bottom trailhead only.

Motorized vehicles : Motorcycle use is allowed on Reader Gulch Trail #749. However motorized use is prohibited on FSR 2254.

The trail crosses Big Beaver Creek just up from the trailhead. The crossing is usually easily negotiated but can be challenging and dangerous during peak runoff.

Reader Gulch Trail #749

Restrictions <ul><li><strong>Motorized vehicles<em><u>:</u></em></strong>&nbsp; Motorcycle use is allowed on Reader Gulch Trail #749.&nbsp; However motorized use is prohibited on FSR 2254.</li><li>Properly possess and store all food, refuse, and other attractants pursuant to Kootenai National Forest <a href="http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5424578.pdf">Food Storage Order</a> (CFR 261.58 (cc)).</li><li>Please <em>Pack-in-Pack</em> <em>out</em> and <em>Leave-No-Trace</em>.</li></ul>&nbsp;

This trailhead on fs.usda.gov

Every trail in Kootenai National Forest

All 465 trails in Kootenai National ForestFind a trailForest on fs.usda.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.