Where do you start with 2 million acres of Lolo National Forest? Well, you segment it down into mountain ranges. There are several dominant ranges in the forest, some located inside protected wilderness areas and others usually in some pretty wild country lacking official protection.

Sapphire Mountains: This relatively low(for the Rockies) range starts just east of Missoula and rises south for about sixty miles. The northern portion of the range is in the Lolo National Forest, while the southern part resides in the Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest. The west flank of the range also borders the famous Bitterroot Valley to the east. The tallest peak in the Sapphires is Kent Peak at 8,999 feet. World famous Rock Creek makes up the eastern boundary of the range for many miles. The Sapphires are known for being thickly forested and teaming with wildlife such as elk, bear and moose.



Of particular interest in the Sapphire Mountains is the 28,135 acre Welcome Creek Wilderness. This wilderness area lies between Gilbert Creek and Cinnamon Bear Creek on Rock Creek road, or northeast of Stevensville in the Bitterroot Valley if coming from the west. Welcome Creek Wilderness is very rugged with steep, forested slopes. Do not expect classic alpine views here, but do expect some solitude and a sense of remoteness. The area is more known for the fantastic blue ribbon fishing and elk hunting than your classic hiking experience. That said, you can bet that what it does offer will be superior to most other experiences simply because it happens to be a national forest in the Rockies. These types of places would be incredibly popular national parks in the eastern half of the country.

A couple grizzly bears recently wandered into this area of the Lolo National Forest. I would treat this area as grizzly country - especially the southern portion of the range. This means bear spray.


The Sapphire Range as seen from Rock Creek.

The Northern Bitterroots: The Lolo National Forest also happens to contain a far northern section of the Bitterroot Mountains. This area is located 20 or so miles west of Missoula on Interstate 90, around the Fish Creek area near the "towns" of Alberton and Tarkio. There's a specific section here that I would recommend, and it's called "The Great Burn". This is a 224,000 acre unprotected roadless area that straddles the Montana/Idaho border. 100,000 acres are on the Lolo National Forest, with the rest on the Clearwater National Forest. The Great Burn got its name from a large fire in 1910 that charred a great deal of the forest.. While much of the area burned, large chunks of old growth red cedar were unscathed, some in the range of 500 years old! There are several lakes in the Great Burn, as well as brush lined creeks and incredibly rich wildlife habitat. All of your northern Rocky Mountain species can be found here - even the grizzly bear, one of which was shot a couple years ago near Fish Creek. The Great Burn also supports the rare bull trout. This is a very diverse chunk of the Lolo National Forest and essential to the overall ecosystem. Hikers can enjoy up to 40 miles of trail without hitting a road in the heart of the wild Great Burn. This truly is a gem of the Rockies. The Forest Service recommends that 211,000 acres of the Great Burn be protected as official wilderness. This is most likely grizzly country.

Rattlesnake Wilderness and Recreation Area: This wilderness gem is only nine miles north of Missoula, Montana in the Lolo National Forest. The Rattlesnake Wilderness is a nice sized 32,976 acres and a great fast getaway from Missoula. The Rattlesnake Recreation area is only four miles from Missoula. Most people do not travel all the way to the wilderness, instead opting to remain in the Recreation Area which is also beautiful. The difference between the two areas is one has official wilderness protection, and one does not. Animals that inhabit the wilderness include elk, mountain goats, black bears, bighorn, moose, grizzly bears, eagles and mountain lion. The highest peak is McLeod Peak at 8,620 feet. Those who are in Missoula with limited time to explore the surroundings should make the Rattlesnake a priority.


Looking into the Welcome Creek Wilderness.

Scapegoat Wilderness: The Lolo National Forest also happens to contain a small portion of this wilderness area. The Scapegoat and Bob Marshall wilderness areas combine with the Great Bear wilderness to form one of the largest wildlands complexes in the lower 48 at 1.5 million acres. Access to the "Bob and the Scapegoat Wilderness is east of Seeley Lake from the Woodworth-Seeley Lake road. This area is often cited as one of the top wilderness experiences in the U.S. It's as wild a place as is left in the U.S, home to the highest density of grizzly bears in the lower 48. Other animal species include moose, bighorn, mountain goat, wolf, mountain lion, pine marten, lynx and wolverine. All of the species prior to European settlement exist here save for the bison. This wilderness is 90 air miles long from north to south.....

These wilderness areas inside the Lolo National Forest portion are more about rugged mountain peaks, deep forested valleys and rushing rivers. There are few lakes in this portion. The complex is home to one of, if not the most wild river in the lower 48 , the South Fork of the Flathead. This part of the wilderness is popular because of the outstanding native cutthroat fishing. Much of the use of this area comes from outfitters and horses. The Bob Marshall Wilderness complex can provide outstanding long hiking trips where you never have to retrace a single step. You could hike for months within the wilderness and not see them same thing. It is rugged, deep country, so make sure your survival skills are up to par. Make sure you always have the equipment you need to get you out of tricky situations. Matches, a compass, warm clothing, shelter a canteen and a hat are essential.

Image note: The first image on the page is looking at the Mission Mountains from the west. This was just at sunrise. I had crawled on my hands and knees in approaching this bull elk. He seemed to be enjoying the sunrise over the beautiful mountains just as much as I was!

Download the Rock Creek Campground Pack for Lolo National Forest in iPod, Quicktime, iTunes, WMP 12 and VideoLan format. See what the campgrounds are really like.