"We don't have a grooming report yet but the trail crews have been out prepping for snow." That's how Tobacco Valley Nordic opened its Oct. 31 update. The club also reported that logging up Still has opened roadsides, that Pony-Cayuse is mostly cleared to two-track, and that Edna-Swamp saddle had about an inch of snow while the Stahl SNOTEL site showed 22 inches.
A little over two weeks before that update, the Kootenai National Forest dropped the biggest piece of winter planning news the Fortine and Rexford districts have seen in years. Very little changed because of it. This winter around Fortine will run on the same rules as last winter. Snowfall and a few volunteer crews will decide how good the season is.
What Was Withdrawn on Oct. 14
On Oct. 14, 2026, the Forest Service withdrew its notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement for the Kootenai National Forest Over-Snow Motorized Use Plan. That plan was meant to decide which trails and areas are open to snowmobiles and other over-snow vehicles, which vehicle classes can use them and in which seasons. It would also have produced an Over-Snow Vehicle Use Map. It covered the Libby, Cabinet, Three Rivers, Fortine and Rexford ranger districts.
The reason given in the Federal Register notice is short. The decision "is based on the length of time since the Notice of Intent was published," and "the project will be reinitiated at a later date." The agency's release also says, "This action does not affect current public access to the forest." The Montanian ran the agency's announcement on Oct. 23.
The shelved plan was big. The April 2024 notice proposed area designations covering about 1,302,000 acres:
- About 987,000 acres open to all classes of over-snow vehicles from Dec. 1 through May 31
- About 315,000 acres open Dec. 1 through March 31, then closed to give grizzly bears room as they come out of their dens
- About 380 trail miles in all, 301 of them groomed, open Dec. 1 through March 31
- The Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area, plus a possible change to the boundary of the forest's year-round non-motorized backcountry zone
That notice expected a draft environmental impact statement in early 2025 and a final one that summer. None of those acreages or season dates are in effect. They were a proposal, and the Oct. 14 notice ended it.
The 2015 Forest Plan Still Sets the Rules
With no winter travel plan, the rules that applied last winter still apply. Most of them come from the Kootenai's 2015 Forest Plan, which the shelved project was supposed to carry out.
The plan lists 26,000 acres of Ten Lakes as recommended wilderness, and that land overlaps the Ten Lakes Wilderness Study Area, where the study-area rules take precedence. Inside the study area, the plan bars over-snow use except where it keeps the wilderness character the area had in 1977 and keeps it eligible to become designated wilderness. Land the plan manages as year-round non-motorized backcountry has no motor vehicle use. The same section allows over-snow vehicles in two other backcountry categories.
The Kootenai updated its maps and guides page on Oct. 21 with a 2026 visitor map and a 2026 Rexford/Fortine Motor Vehicle Use Map. The MVUM shows the routes and areas open to motor vehicles. It's a general motor vehicle map, not the winter map the shelved plan would have produced. For a specific drainage or ridge, the people to ask are at the Rexford/Fortine Ranger District office at 949 US Hwy 93 N in Eureka, 406-296-2536, open weekdays 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The old Murphy Lake Ranger Station is closed.
Volunteers and Snow Decide the Season
The rules aren't changing this winter. What varies from year to year is whether the snow arrives and whether crews get out to set track.
The Forest Service's winter sports page, last updated in April 2026, lists 232 miles of designated groomed snowmobile trail across the whole Kootenai. It also lists seven cross-country ski areas with more than 23 miles of groomed or intermittently groomed trail. The 2024 proposal had mapped 301 groomed snowmobile miles. Since that proposal is gone, 232 is the figure to plan around for now.
Clubs do most of the grooming. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks says local clubs or chambers groom the state's 4,000-plus miles of snowmobile trail, paid for with State Parks grant money. Close to Fortine, that means two volunteer groups.
| Group | What it does | Where things stand for 2026/27 |
|---|---|---|
| Tobacco Valley Nordic | Volunteer 501(c)(3) that sets ski track where the snow is | Oct. 31 update: trails being prepped, Pony-Cayuse mostly cleared to two-track, no grooming report yet |
| Ten Lakes Snowmobile Club | Eureka-based snowmobile club | Montana Snowmobile Association directory lists P.O. Box 404, Eureka, 406-297-3377 |
| Rexford/Fortine Ranger District | Manages the national forest land where both clubs work | Office open weekdays in Eureka; 2026 MVUM posted |
Tobacco Valley Nordic describes its approach plainly:
"We have no dedicated ski area but 'go for the snow.'"
The club's trail map shows how much that approach depends on conditions. Meadow Creek, the route closest to Fortine, wasn't set in the 2024/25 season because of logging activity. This fall, logging is working in the club's favor. The Oct. 31 update says logging up Still has opened up roadsides. Last season the club planned its first track-set at Edna Creek for Dec. 3, 2025, and set it on Dec. 5. Use that date only as a rough reference for how a season can start, since this year's first set will follow this year's snow. The club's groomers report is the page to check once the season begins.
Paperwork Before the First Ride
The shelved plan didn't change anything riders need to carry, either. According to FWP's snowmobiling page:
- Any snowmobile used on public land in Montana must be registered. Montana residents register once through their county treasurer.
- Montana residents pay $20 per machine for a trail pass, and it's good for two seasons.
- Nonresidents need a Nonresident Winter Trail Pass to ride groomed trails. It costs $35 per machine and covers one season.
- Passes are sold October through April, so this season's passes are on sale now.
If friends or family from out of state are bringing sleds this winter, the nonresident pass is the item most likely to be missed.
This post summarizes rules as the agencies publish them. It's general information, not legal advice, so check the agency pages or call the district office about your own plans.
Feb. 11 Puts Eureka on the State Ride Map
The Montana Snowmobile Association's events calendar lists Trans-Montana Ride stops for February 2027. Eureka is first, on Thursday, Feb. 11. The ride moves to Haugan on Feb. 12, then to Lolo for the association's annual group ride on Saturday, Feb. 13, the same day as its awards banquet in Missoula. Later stops include Skalkaho Pass, the Butte area and West Yellowstone. Before February, the same calendar shows a groomer operator training day at FWP in Helena on Dec. 5.
For anyone thinking past this season, the Forest Service says it will post project updates on its project website, and that future planning will include chances for the public to comment. If you have questions about the withdrawal itself, the Federal Register notice names the NEPA coordinator at the Kootenai Supervisor's Office in Libby, 406-293-6211. If you hiked Ten Lakes country this past summer on our Fortine summer calendar, the winter rules up there are the ones listed above, and the Eureka district office is the place to confirm them.
Winter access shapes how a lot of us use our land up here, from the gravel drive to the forest road above it. If you're wondering how trail access and winter roads affect what your own Fortine property is worth, I'm glad to walk it through with you. Reach out to Charity Waldo or request your free valuation and we'll talk it over before the snow gets deep.
