Bob Marshall Wilderness
Established as part of the original United States Wilderness Act of 1964, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area is an administrated unit of the Flathead National Forest. The area now covers 1.5 million acres and actually is comprised of three wilderness areas: Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Great Bear. more info
The Bob Marshall Wilderness Area is one of the most completed preserved examples of mountain ecology in the world – a wilderness are that can only be imagined in other parts of the world. It has been described as 2,400 square miles of rugged, unspoiled wilderness that could change your life forever. Another description of the 1.5 million acres states that it is land and rivers and mountains still pretty much the way that God had fashioned them. An area with rugged, ragged mountain peaks, crystal clear alpine lakes, towering cascading waterfalls, vast grassy meadows with sparkling streams, a coniferous forest and large, wide river valleys.
The area is a habitat for grizzly bear and gray wolves, as well, as elk, whitetail deer, mule deer, lynx, bobcats, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, black bears, wolverines and cougars. Other smaller mammals also call this their home – beaver, river otters, snowshoe rabbits and marten. The area is alive with birds – bald eagles, falcons, hawks, owls, grouse, and woodpeckers. If you are an avid bird watcher, you will also be able to catch a glimpse of the Stellar Jay, Clark nutcracker, camp robbers, chickadees, nuthatches and others.
July is the busiest month of the year in Bob Marshall County. Rafting the wild Middle Fork of the Flathead is best from mid-July to mid-August, when good weather coincides with adequate flows. It is also prime horse country because it has vast valleys, gentle terrain and some wide mid-elevation river valleys that are covered with lush grass for grazing. This is one of the few areas where horse users may outnumber hikers and backpackers. Hikers making use of the 1,000 miles of well developed trails in the area can expect to meet packstock, horses and riders.
Whatever your dream may be of a true wilderness adventure, you will find all you need to fulfill it in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area.
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