FS 166B / West Fork Loop Road / Old Toby Road, Big Sky, Gallatin County, Montana

FS 166B / West Fork Loop Road / Old Toby Road Summary

PUBLIC ACCESS CUT OFF BY BIG SKY PRIVATE HOME CONSTRUCTION RESTORED

In 2000, Stan Schlueter, from Texas, purchased 497 acres in Big Sky. The Schlueters then built their 8037 sq. ft. Big Sky home, partially on the Forest Service 166B road (West Fork Loop Road, also called Old Toby Road for a portion), which has a 66 foot easement. FS 166B Road, with motorized access, also connected to FS 166D, which enters the Forest Service public lands. FS 166B provides access to the North Fork Trailhead for nonmotorized recreation opportunities including mountain biking, hiking, running and accessing public lands to the Spanish Peaks, Lee Metcalf Wilderness, Bear Basin (#16) and multiple connecting trails.

The 8000 + ft. log home was constructed in Canada, then deconstructed, loaded onto 18-wheelers and trucked to Big Sky. A crew of 5 to 6 men erected the home in a couple of weeks.

When the Forest Service saw the encroachment, this began a long running dispute with the landowners, which involved proposals and counter proposals, including political pressure from Schlueter’s home state of Texas.

In August 2013, when PLWA member Kathryn QannaYahu read a news article on the dispute, she physically documented the site, taking photos, as well as acquired the easements from the Gallatin County Courthouse, which stated there was a 66′ wide perpetual public easement for FS 166B and 166D roads. She then networked the images and easement to the public to fight the proposed land exchange, which would reward the out of state landowner’s encroachment and remove motorized vehicle access to the boundary of the Forest Service land. 60% of the public comments submitted focused on the landowner encroachment.

On September 19, 2013, the USFS Bozeman District Ranger issued a statement that they were suspending their land exchange/trail proposal, instead working with the landowner to resolve the road encroachment.

In January 2015, the Forest Service announced that the Schlueters would build a new road, which they financed, around the encroachment to restore public access to that portion of FS 166B. “We are pleased to have a positive outcome that continues public access in a manner similar to what forest users have come to know,” said Lisa Stoeffler, Bozeman District ranger, in a press release. “We understand that access to public land is a precious and valuable resource for residents and visitors of this area.”

UPDATE: February 2013

The Gallatin National Forest is seeking your feedback on a proposal involving a potential exchange of rights for Forest Service Road 166B (West Fork Loop Road), Forest Road 166D (Basin Road), National Forest Trail #403 (Pygmy/Ridge Trail) and North Fork Trailhead. These roads and trails are located near Big Sky, Montana.

For the past several years the Forest Service has been working with land owners and interested parties in the North Fork drainage north of Big Sky to resolve a number of access issues. This work has led to a proposal which considers an exchange of existing easements for new easements to access National Forest system lands. Since the proposal involves the exchange of some rights currently held by the United States to access the Gallatin National Forest in lieu of new easements, the Forest Service is seeking your feedback to determine whether or not to move forward with this exchange.

“Since access to public lands is important to many who live and recreate in this area it is critical that we understand how this exchange would affect how you use and enjoy public lands,” said Lisa Stoeffler, Bozeman District Ranger.

The United States currently holds full and perpetual public easements for Forest Roads 166B and 166D in the North Fork of the West Fork of the Gallatin River and for the North Fork Trailhead which serves the North Fork Trail #16. These easements and facilities are held by the Forest Service and are on private lands held subject to these easements.

Under this proposal the North Fork Trailhead would serve both the North Fork Trail #16 and a new 6.8 mile trail loop that would be constructed in Sections 20, 21, 22, 27 on private land that would eventually connect to National Forest Trail # 403. This new trail would be located on a perpetual, public, year-round easement held by a public trail management entity for all non-motorized public uses, granted by each private land owner. Trail #403 is also accessible from the north via Beehive Basin.

The United States would continue to hold an easement on Forest Road 166B on the east side of the loop from Highway 64 to the North Fork Trailhead. The Forest Service would hold an easement for administrative use only from Highway 64 on Forest Roads 166B and 166D to National Forest system lands on the west side of the loop with an adequate reroute around the home on Forest Road 166B.

The Bozeman Ranger District will be hosting an open house to answer questions about the proposal on March 14, 2013 at First Security Bank in Big Sky (78 Meadow Village Drive) from 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. To be most helpful, your feedback on the proposal is needed by March 31, 2013. Feedback can be submitted in writing to 3710 Fallon St. Suite C, Bozeman, MT 59718 - include “FR166B comments” in the subject line.