Typical road in the Wildlife Management Area of Little River Canyon National Preserve

The National Park Service Wildlife Management Area Road Map is not accurate. I have included a map that corrects one mistake. To access Road 9 and 8 from Oak Hill Road / Country Road 476, the original map makes it look like 476 becomes Road 9 and that Road 8 simply ends at the park boundary. This is not the case. CR 476 turns to dirt and actually becomes Road 8. Road 9 is a turn-off from the dirt road portion of 476. Road 9 is the first left-hand turn you come to. Stay straight to get to Road 8. 

Little River Canyon National Preserve Backcountry Map (click to enlarge)

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The northern section of Little River Canyon National Preserve is known as the Wildlife Management Area (aka the Backcountry). This is the area above Little River Falls that abuts to DeSoto State Park. Activities in this area include Hunting and Fishing, Kayaking and Canoeing, Horseback Riding, Mountain Biking, and hiking on the DeSoto Scout Trail. This area of the park caters more to the standard outdoorsman, whereas the Canyon Area below the falls caters to the extreme sportsman.

The Wildlife Management Area is open from dawn until dusk. There are gates on the entrance roads that must be opened each morning and closed each night. Note that Off-Highway Vehicles (OHVs), such as ATVs and UTVs, and non-street legal dirt bikes are not allowed on any road in Little River Canyon National Preserve.

The Little River splits the Wildlife Management Area into an eastern and western section. During the summer when the water levels are low, you can actually drive from one side to the other by crossing the river at Billy’s Ford or Hartline Ford. I was not able to do this during my two trips into the backcountry (December and May) due to high water levels.

High water at the Hartline Ford river crossing in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

The Wildlife Management Area can only be accessed via rough and rutted dirt roads that require at minimum a high-clearance vehicle. Some of the roads are only suitable for hard-core 4-Wheel Drive vehicles and equally tough drivers. Even the best of the roads are full of potholes, and there are also creek crossings and deep gullies that sometimes consume more than half the width of the road. Furthermore, the backcountry roads are very narrow, so if two vehicles meet while driving in opposite directions, somebody must back up until a clearing is found, and there are long stretches without any. 

Road 7 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

Hunting is allowed in the Wildlife Management Area, and that’s pretty much the main reason why anyone would want to venture into it. The only other reason would be to test your 4WD vehicle on the westside roads. If you have a vehicle that you like to keep shinny and new, I can’t stress enough that these roads are not for you. I use my truck for my job, so I don’t really care if it gets all scratched up or dented. You will oftentimes need to drive so close to the brush to avoid deep gullies that the sides of your truck are bound to get scratched by branches and other abrasive vegetation.

WEST SIDE BACKCOUNTRY ROADS

Roads are listed in order from south to north.

ROAD 5

Entrance to the southern end of the Wildlife Management Area is via Road 5. This road runs the entire length of the backcountry, 7.6 miles. While there are plenty of potholes, there are no places where 4WD is required.

Road 5 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

There are four creek crossings. The first comes near the start at the southern end. There was barely any water in it despite extreme high water levels on the Little River when I visited, so I suspect it is dry much of the year, particularly in the summer.

First creek crossing on Road 5 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

The second creek, which comes shortly after passing Road 6, is Hurricane Creek, and it was a little deeper during my visit. Since I couldn’t see the bottom due to glare, I wasn’t sure if I should cross. However, I was wearing shorts and had some flip flops with me, so I put them on and waded across. The water came up below my knees, which I determined not to be a problem for my vehicle. I do wish I had some strap-on water shoes, as the flip flops were a little hard to keep on my feet when walking through the water. So be sure to bring some water shoes with you for this type of situation.

Road 5 crosses Hurricane Creek in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

The third creek crossing is at Hartline Ford. The road crosses right at the confluence of the creek and the Little River. If the water level is low, you can actually drive all the way across the Little River to the eastern side of the backcountry. When I arrived, due to high water I had to stay back farther on the road from the creek, so it looked as if crossing over to the eastern side was the only option. However, Road 5 does continue along the west bank of the Little River, but the road on the other side of the creek was blocked from view by bushes. I only saw it after getting out and looking around the corner. As at the Hurricane Creek crossing, I put on my flip flops and waded across to check out the depth.

Road 5 at Hartline Ford in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

The rest of Road 5 north of Hartline Ford is a decent dirt road. There is one last shallow creek crossing, but it posses no problem for any high-clearance vehicle. The road eventually ends at the paved Dunn Road. On the way north is the intersection with Road 9 and intersections with hiking trails (Exit 4 and Exit 5) that lead to the DeSoto Scout Trail.

Road 5 at the northern entrance into the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 10

Road 10 looked awful from the intersection with Road 5. I did not attempt to drive it mainly because it is one way (.8 mile), and I didn’t want to come back down. It is supposedly one leg of a hiking trail called the YCC Loop Trail. The idea is to hike up the road and then take a connector back to Road 5. While driving on Road 5, I never saw anything that even remotely resembled a hiking trail connecting to it, so my guess is that the connector is now lost to nature, and the YCC Loop Trail is no longer.

Road 10 at the intersection with Road 5 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 6

Road 6 is gone. When I visited in 2014 it did not appear on the backcountry map, but it was still open—and a lot of fun for serious 4-wheeling. Today it is blocked off by a sign and completely overgrown.

ROAD 7

Road 7 is a 1-mile road that runs between Road 5 and Road 8. This is a true 4-Wheel Drive road, and the only reason I drove it was because I didn’t have to return on it. There are plenty of segments where what remains of the road are just wide enough to fit my truck without it sliding into the gully, but I could feel the dirt underneath my tires crumbling away as I drove. The top end near Road 8 is the worst part. However, I was never that concerned about rolling or getting stuck, but I did bottom out a few times on the center part of the road when driving with my tires in the gullies on either side. Also, I had to hug the side of the road so closely to keep out of some of the deeper gullies (see photo below) that my truck was often being battered by small limbs and other abrasive brush. Because of driving on Road 7 and later Road 8, both sides of my truck were scratched from front to back. However, no scratch was deep, and all can be easily buffed out if I were to take the time to do it or hire somebody.

Road 7 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 4 (BILLY’S FORD)

Road 4 is a quarter-mile-long side road off of Road 5 that leads to Billy’s Ford, a spot where at low water levels vehicles can cross the Little River to the other side of the backcountry. I visited in mid-May a day after a torrential rainstorm, and there was no way to cross the river due to high water. In fact, I couldn’t even see where the road continued on the other side. I later drove to Billy’s Ford from the eastern side of the backcountry, and I couldn’t see the westside road either. To figure out which way to go, I assume it takes getting out into the middle of the riverbed.

High water on the Little River at Billy’s Ford in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

The road to Billy’s Ford is not as rough as the other 4-wheel drive roads (7, 8, 9, and 10), but it’s not too far from being so. A 4WD vehicle is definitely required. If you don’t have one and want to cross the Little River, continue about a mile north on Road 5 and cross at Hartline Ford.

Backcountry Road 4 to Billy’s Ford on the west side of the Little River, Little River Canyon National Preserve

HIGH ROCK ROAD

Just after passing the turnoff for Billy’s Ford is another side road on the right that leads to a geological feature called High Rock. The road is .3-mile long and has potholes, but other than that, it is a decent road. There is a parking area at the end, and from there it is just a short walk to a ledge high above the Little River. To the best of my knowledge, there is no access to the water short of climbing down the side of the ledge.

View of the Little River from High Rock in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 8

Road 8 runs from Road 5 to where the pavement ends at Oak Hill Road / CR 476, a total distance of 2 miles. It intersects with Road 7 near its halfway point. The section north of the intersection has its share of potholes, but otherwise it is a standard dirt road. However, unless you are willing to take Road 7 or continue on the lower half of Road 8—both of which are awful—there is no sense in even driving down CR 476 to access Road 8 in the first place.

The lower 1-mile segment of Road 8 (south of the Road 7 intersection) starts out pretty good, but it just gets worse and worse and worse until it’s even worse than Road 7, and I didn’t think that was possible. All this happens on the lower half mile of the road before it ends at Road 5.

At one point there wasn’t enough serviceable road remaining to fit my vehicle, and the gully was so deep that had my right tires been on the high part of the road and the left tires in the gully, I would have been driving at such an angle that I possibly could have rolled over. In the photo below, the back wheel of the truck slid into the gully and was luckily stopped by a large rock. The gully doesn’t look deep in the two-dimensional photo below, but when I got out and stood in it, my head was at the level with the bottom of the side window. I was able to back up a truck’s length to where the gully wasn’t as deep, and then I positioned my right tires (left in the photo) on the road at the edge of the gully and my left tires (right in the photo) two feet into the brush on the side of the road, effectively straddling the gully. I had to roll up my window to keep the branches from whipping into the cab, and of course this resulted in the side of my truck getting scratched up. Had there been a tree in the way, I don’t know if I would have made it. There is no way to turn around, and no way to back down the road, for everything up to that point is nearly as bad.

Navigating a deep gully on Road 8 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 9

After driving roads 7 and 8, when I got to Road 9 I really felt like I was pushing my luck. I started up it but quickly decided to return back down (in reverse). I can’t imagine that it is much different from the other 4-wheel drive roads in the backcountry. The photo below is of the start of Road 9 at the Road 5 intersection, and it doesn’t look too bad. However, as soon as you go around the corner—not pictured—you will know that it is the same as the other 4-wheel drive roads.

Backcountry Road 9 at the intersection with Road 5, Little River Canyon National Preserve

Just to show you how much roads 7, 8, 9, and 10 have eroded since I first drove them in 2014, my report at that time stated: “The roads offer a few minor thrills such as creek crossings, but they are not roads sought after by 4 Wheelers.” Today I am surprised the National Park Service keeps them open. The photo below is of a typical backcountry road in 2014.

Typical Little River Canyon National Preserve backcountry road in 2014

EAST SIDE BACKCOUNTRY ROADS

The eastside roads in the Wildlife Management Area of Little River Canyon National Preserve are in much better condition than those on the western side, but a high-clearance vehicle is still required. Hunting is allowed in the backcountry, and since the hunter check-in station is on this side of the Little River, I am assuming this is the side more popular with hunters, and perhaps the National Park Service does not allow the roads to deteriorate as much for that reason.

Roads are listed from south to north.

ROAD 1

Start of backcountry Road 1 at the intersection with Country Road 103, Little River Canyon National Preserve

The southern entrance into the Wildlife Management Area begins on Road 1. It runs for 1.8 mile to the intersection with Road 4, then changes names to Road 2. While all roads on the eastern side of the backcountry can be driven on by high-clearance, non-4WD vehicles, they still have plenty of minor ruts and potholes, some large enough to form small ponds when filled with water. There are also a couple of creek crossings, but any high-clearance vehicle can handle them. If you have driven in the western side of the backcountry, Road 1 is very similar to Road 5.

Flooded section of Road 1 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

Rutted section of Road 1 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

The southern end of the backcountry’s eastern side is much more open than anywhere on the western side, which is nothing but forest. However, the terrain does get more wooded as you continue north.

Open terrain at the southern end of Road 1 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 4 (BILLY’S FORD)

Road 4 is a side road off of Road 1 that leads down to Billy’s Ford where you can cross the Little River to the western side of the backcountry when water levels are down. Once across, the road connects to Road 5. Keep in mind that Road 4 on the western side of the river is very rough, and 4WD vehicles are recommended. The eastside section is in good condition, similar to Road 1.

Road 4 on the east side of the Wildlife Management Area at Little River Canyon National Preserve

Road 4 at Billy’s Ford on the east side of the backcountry in Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 2

Road 2 is just a continuation of Road 1. The name changes at the intersection with Road 4. Other than the name, the only difference is that it runs through a more wooded terrain.

Road 2 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

Road 2 is 3 miles in length. When traveling north, it ends at a wide dirt road. Either a left or right leads to Country Road 103. If you plan to continue onto Road 3, take a left, then take another left at 103. The entrance to Road 3 is less than a tenth of a mile away.

The map at the top of this page shows the correct route—notice the dotted line running parallel to CR 103. There is also a large, full-color Wildlife Management Area map available at the Little River Canyon Center that shows the roads correctly. However, I was also given a map at the Canyon Center—similar to the one on this page—that shows Road 2 ending directly at CR 103. This is not correct. Expect Road 2 to end at a wide dirt road (which is probably still considered Road 2).

ROAD 3

Start of backcountry Road 3 at CR 103, Little River National Preserve

The entrance to Road 3 is directly from CR 103, and as mentioned above, it is a tenth of a mile from the northern entrance to Road 2. Road 3 is 1.8 mile long and ends at the Little River where, when the water levels are low, vehicles can cross over to the other side of the backcountry via Hartline Ford. Unfortunately, there was a downed tree blocking Road 3 not far from the start when I visited, so I cannot report on its condition. However, I have little reason to believe it is any different from Road 1 or Road 2.

Potholes filled with water on Road 3 in the backcountry of Little River Canyon National Preserve

ROAD 11

Road 11 is a .2 mile spur off of Road 3. Due to the above-mentioned downed tree, I was not able to explore it. I have no idea what its purpose is.

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