USFS Road #9657 Summary

Forest Service Road 9657 on Piute Creek (aka Stock Driveway) provides access to Peterson Basin in the Southern Snowcrest Range. A new landowner put up a gate in 2021 with “private property” signage. Initial discussion with the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest indicated the road was public and crosses private land for just a quarter mile before entering BLM and then National Forest land.

Conversations with the Forest Service this spring/summer (2022) clarified there is no public access since the new landowner took over. The range manger for the area verified there is no recorded easement, however discussions are being had with the current landowner. If no resolution is reached, pursuing a prescriptive easement may be necessary.