Outskirts of the Tobacco Root Mountains

The Three Forks to Cardwell Road Trip is 155 miles of road, making for a scenic and adventurous drive. The beautiful drive circles Hollowtop Mountain and surrounds the Tobacco Root Mountains. Table Mountain can be seen to the west, the Blaze and Lone Mountains to the east, and Sphinx Mountain to the south.

There are several options in how to complete the road trip. You can choose to include the Missouri River Headwaters State Park and the Lewis & Clark Caverns or exclude them altogether. You can extend your journey past the necessary two hours, explore the area for a couple of days, and make the drive a long weekend.

Campgrounds from the Missouri River Headwaters State Park to the Lewis & Clark Caverns include the Lewis and Clark Caverns Campground, the Lakeshore Campground, the Cardwell Campground, the Potosi Campground, the Mill Creek Campground, the Balanced Rock Campground, the Branham Lakes Campground, the Ruby Valley Campground, and the Rambling Moose Campground.

There are also opportunities for hiking and fishing on the route to Cardwell. Places you can stop for outdoor recreation include Greer Gulch Loop Trail, Granite Creek, Daylight Creek, Renova Hot Springs, Milligan Canyon, Red Rock Garnet mine, Parrott Castle, Blackbird Fishing Access Site, and the world-famous trout stream Ennis Lake.

There are also ghost towns like Pony and Mammoth and the labyrinth of limestone caves that make up the Lewis and Clark Caverns ready to be explored.

Use caution when driving, wear your seatbelt, and don't exceed the speed limit.