Little Bear Road

Little Bear Road is an 11.4-mile trail in the Little Bear area of the Gallatin Mountains, a fun area trail with nice views and lots of wildlife.

The road begins easy and consists of graded and rough dirt that could be driven with a stock 2WD vehicle when dry, but the difficulty soon increases. The trail becomes narrower with larger rolling dirt bumps and undulations. This area also has larger mud pits with deep holes and depressions, sometimes filled with water. A 4x4 is highly recommended in these sections because the mud is incredibly slick and can pack into tires. The upper trail is rocky. Several fairly steep sections have loose rock, deep ruts, and potholes.

Little Bear Road connects to several other roads, including Wilson Creek Divide Road (3138), Little Bear B Road (980B), Bear Divide Road (3141), and Big Bear Lake Road (6969).

There are a few small camping areas off of the second half of the road, as well as two larger campsites with fire pits, including one at the turnaround at the end of the road.

Overall this is a fun road that allows you to get deep into the woods and enjoy the views and wildlife. A little over half of the road is an easy, relaxing drive, while the few more challenging sections provide excitement and an opportunity to practice technical driving. This makes the trail suitable for beginners looking to get more experience offroading but does not want to be white-knuckled the entire time.