More Than Just Forests | Flathead!

From the creators of More Than Just Parks, in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service proudly presents More Than Just Forests | Flathead! Explore iconic mountains, emerald lakes, and vast forests of deep green and brilliant gold of the Flathead National Forest:





Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com

Ramble On: A History of Hiking
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park

Update on Glacier National Park Wildfires

The Thompson Fire Incident Management Team has assumed management of two new fires (Sheep and Granite Fires) on the Flathead National Forest adjacent to Glacier National Park. These three fires are now referred to as the Thompson-Divide Complex. The new fires are located in the Great Bear Wilderness south of Highway 2. They will be assessed today to determine needed suppression actions. The Sheep Fire is estimated at 100 acres and the Granite Fire at 30-40 acres.

The Thompson Fire, reported Aug. 9th, is located in a remote south-central backcountry area of Glacier National Park about 15 miles east of the West Glacier entrance in the Thompson and Nyack drainages west of the Continental Divide. The fire is currently estimated to be 13,680 Acres in size, and is still 0% contained.

Crews will continue constructing a wet line between avalanche chutes on the west side of the fire’s perimeter to contain the fire. This includes the use of helicopter water drops and pumps and hose lays on the ground. Fire personnel in the Two Medicine and Cut Bank drainages will continue monitoring efforts for any fire that might cross to the east-side of the Continental Divide. The fire remains west of the Divide and poses no threat to communities around East Glacier and St. Mary.

The Waterton Lake Fire, which was detected on the west side of Waterton Lake on the U.S. side of Glacier National Park on August 14th, remains at roughly 25 acres in size. A Canadian Type-2 short team and a helicopter have responded to this fire. Several trails and backcountry campgrounds have been closed. The Waterton Shoreline Boat is still running from Waterton to Goat Haunt with no back country access.

The Reynolds Creek Fire near St. Mary Lake continues to burn within the fire perimeter on the east side of the park. For more information on this fire, please click here.

For the most up-to-date information on the expanded trail and area closure statuses, please click here. You can also visit the Inciweb website, or call (406) 314-1669 for updated fire information. 

Although several wildfires are currently burning in or near Glacier, the rest of the park is still open with tons of outstanding hiking opportunities still available. Remember, the park is more than one million acres in size, and there's still plenty of epic Glacier National Park scenery to explore. For more information on many of the hikes in these areas, please click here.



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com
HikingintheSmokys.com

Three More Collaboration Field Trips to Start Forest Plan Revision

The second of four field trips to kick off the collaborative effort for forest plan revision will be held August 29, 2013. The trip will focus on recreation opportunities, access, existing wilderness and scenic character and will take people around the Hungry Horse Reservoir on the Hungry Horse and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts. The public field trips each focus on subject matter important to the forest plan. On these field trips the USFS ask people to share their values and the benefits they derive from the Flathead National Forest, as well as provide input to help them accurately assess the current conditions they have on the forest as they pertain to the topic of the field trip. The trips will also be an opportunity to experience the distinct geographical areas that make up the Flathead ranger districts.

The Flathead National Forest is embarking on a multi-year process to update its forest plan, the document that guides how they will manage our public lands. The forest plan provides direction for managing resources and activities such as recreation, fish and wildlife habitat, historic and sacred sites, vegetation and timber production. . Forest plan revision is achieved in a three-phase process: assessment, revision, and monitoring. The 2012 National Forest System land management planning rule calls for an enhanced commitment to collaboration and public engagement across all three phases, including outreach to groups such as youth.

Due to the distance needed to travel on the August 29th field trip, participants will start at 7:45 AM at the Flathead County Fairgrounds, with a second pick-up at the Hungry Horse Ranger District at 8:30 AM. The plan is to return people to Hungry Horse by 5:15 PM and the fairgrounds by 6:00 PM. The last two trips are planned to run from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM. Those trips will begin and end at the Flathead County Fairgrounds with transportation provided for all the field trips.

August 29 - Recreation settings, opportunities and access, existing wilderness and scenic character (Hungry Horse/Spotted Bear Ranger Districts)

September 12 - Terrestrial and aquatic habitats, threatened and endangered species, species of conservation concern, and invasive species (Swan Lake Ranger District)

September 26 – Inventoried roadless areas, recommended wilderness, and wild and scenic rivers (Glacier View Ranger District)

* Social science, economics, and the role and contributions of the Flathead National Forest will be a component of each of the field trips.

The information shared and the feedback received will be used to develop and finalize the assessment, determine needs for change, and to draft a proposed plan. There will be additional opportunities to engage in the collaborative process as the plan is developed over the next few years.

Please RSVP to Wade Muehlhof (ewmuehlhof@fs.fed.us or 406-758-5252) at least one week before the field trip(s) you plan to attend. For additional details you can visit the Flathead National Forest Plan Revision page.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Fire Danger is High in Northwest Montana

Fire danger on the Flathead National Forest and public lands in the Flathead valley is now at “high”. This includes Glacier National Park. When the fire danger is "high", fires can start easily from most causes and small fuels (such as grasses and needles) will ignite readily. Unattended campfires and brush fires are likely to escape. Fires will spread easily, with some areas of high-intensity burning on slopes or concentrated fuels. Fires can become serious and difficult to control unless they are put out while they are still small.

The latest human-caused fire on the Flathead National Forest was detected Monday, July 22, 2013 in the Bob Marshall Wilderness at an area known as Independence Park. It appears the fire started from a campfire that was not properly extinguished. There have already been more than a dozen human-caused fire starts on the Flathead National Forest. Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers are investigating these fires. There are stiff fines and the possibility of jail time for being careless with campfires, cigarettes and other ignition sources.

Human-caused wildfires can have devastating impacts unnecessarily destroying our natural resources, putting the public and our firefighters in danger, destroying homes and habitat, and costing taxpayers millions every year. Nation-wide, more than 75,000 wildfires are reported each year. About nine out of ten fires are caused by people. July 23rd marked the 10 year anniversary of the start of a human caused fire named the Robert Fire in the North Fork area. The fire burned 57,570 acres in Glacier and National Forest lands. The fire cost taxpayers nearly 31 million dollars. As Smokey Bear reminds us, only you can prevent this from happening.

Forest Service officials ask that all forest users be extra careful to fully extinguish any campfire or cooking fire.

1. Never leave a campfire unattended, and be sure it is “dead out” before leaving the area.

2. Have a bucket and shovel handy when having a campfire.

3. Cigarette smokers should smoke on bare ground or soil (not in or near vegetation) and pack out their cigarette butts.

4. Fireworks are prohibited in all national forests, national parks, state lands, and all private land the state identifies as classified forest land.

For more information about wildland fire education and prevention, please click here, or contact a local office of the Flathead National Forest.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Flathead National Forest To Examine Risks and Benefits of Road System

The U.S. Forest Service is conducting an analysis of the road system on three of the ranger districts in the Flathead National Forest. Every national forest will complete a travel analysis report by 2015. The Hungry Horse, Glacier View and Spotted Bear Ranger Districts are scheduled to complete their analysis this year.

The travel analysis will include the identification of risks and benefits on National Forest System Roads (NFSR) roads as they pertain to safe and efficient travel and the protection, management, and use of the national forest.

Flathead National Forest Supervisor Chip Weber says, “The travel analysis is not a proposal or decision, but is intended to help inform possible future road management planning. We will need public input to inform the analysis, but this will not be a formal public comment process. Before any projects are implemented on the ground the public will have an opportunity to comment through the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.”

Once the analysis has captured the known risks and benefits, an interactive mapping tool reflecting the initial results of the analysis will be posted to the FNF website and available for the public to view and make comments. The mapping tool will allow the public to provide input to better inform the analysis and help identify risks and benefits we may have missed.

The agency expects to maintain an appropriately sized and environmentally sustainable road system that is responsive to ecological, economic and social concerns. The national forest system of the future must continue to provide access for recreation and resource management, as well as support watershed restoration and resource protection to sustain healthy ecosystems. Nearly everyone who uses the National Forest will be affected by possible future road management decisions, making it important to work together today to identify a sustainable road system.

When maps are available that capture the results of the analysis, additional information will be released to let everyone know how to access the maps and what kind of input we will be seeking.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com

Mission Lookout Opening Two Weeks Early for Cabin Rental Program

The Mission Lookout on the Swan Lake Ranger District will be available for rental earlier in 2013 than in previous years. The Lookout had been opening on June 1, but the district will make the cabin available starting May 15, 2013.

Like similar Forest Service Lookouts, the Mission site has experienced several face-lifts in its 75 year history as a fire detection tower. The existing structure built in 1959 consists of a 15' by 15' cabin with windows on all sides perched atop a 40 foot wooden tower. With a maximum group capacity of 2 adults and children, Mission Lookout is best suited for a couple or small family. The Tower is equipped with a small bed, fold-up cots, a propane cooking stove and simple cooking utensils. An outhouse is located at ground level. Renters will need to bring bedding including pillows, food, firewood (a fire ring is located at the base of the tower), toiletries, water, and non-open flame light source.

The Flathead National Forest has 14 cabins that are available to rent on an overnight basis. Some of the cabins have electricity, all have either wood or electric stoves for cooking and heating, one has indoor plumbing. Some of the cabins are located right on a road; others require that you hike, ski, or snowmobile into them. For a list of cabins on the Forest, see the rental information page.

The Mission Lookout and other rental cabins can be reserved by calling Toll Free 1-877-444-6777 (International 518-885-3639 or TDD 877-833-6777) or on-line at www.recreation.gov.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier.com

Prescribed Fire Projects Planned on Swan Lake Ranger District

The Swan Lake Ranger District of the Flathead National Forest is planning to conduct multiple prescribed fire projects when weather, fuel conditions, and air quality become favorable this spring. Smoke will be visible from various places in the Flathead Valley and the Swan Valley depending on the location of the burn units and weather conditions.

The project areas include:

* Blacktail Mountain Area – Up to 72 acres of logging slash from previously logged areas will be treated with fire to reduce hazardous fuels as well as create favorable conditions for natural regeneration of plant and tree species.

* Haskill Mountain Area – This ecosystem burn project has targeted 128 acres of mid to upper elevation brush and conifer. Fire suppression has caused a change in species composition resulting in accumulations of woody material and an increased risk of stand replacement fire. Fire management will reintroduce fire to overall improve forest health and reduce the likelihood of intense wildfire.

* Crane Mountain Area – This work includes three units in the Estes Lake, Hunger Creek, and Crane Creek areas. Geographically the area is located several miles south of Ferndale, above Woods Bay, totaling 506 acres of under-burning. Objectives are to reintroduce fire to the landscape thus reducing hazardous fuels that have accumulated over the years. A temporary closure on Trail #96 into the Estes Lake Area may occur during burn operations.

* Meadow Smith and Cooney McKay– This project includes under-burning timber stands located within the Meadow and Smith Creek areas of the Swan Valley. These treatments will use prescribed fire for fuels reduction, vegetation regeneration, and wildlife habitat improvement.

* Holland Lake Area – This project includes under burning 135 acres of ponderosa pine stands as part of ecosystem health. Prescribed fire will be reintroduced to improve overall forest health and reduce the likelihood of intense wildfire.

* Pile Burning – Hand or Machine piles are located in several locations within the Swan Valley and Blacktail Mountain as a result of but not limited to: logging, hazardous fuels reduction in the wildland urban interface, hazard tree removal, and trail or road construction. These piles are burned to reduce the fuel loads in these areas. These piles are strategically burned based on their location, access, and weather conditions.

Each project follows a Prescribed Fire Burn Plan. The prescribed fire projects are located and designed to be controlled to reduce the potential for adverse effects, or to escape as a wildland fire. These projects will be in compliance with Montana air quality standards and coordinated with Montana State Department of Environmental Quality to reduce the impacts of smoke to our neighbors, cooperators, and surrounding communities.

For additional information about these projects contact the Swan Lake Ranger District in Bigfork at 406-837-7500.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking

Section of Hay Creek Road Closed in the North Fork Area of the Flathead National Forest

To provide for public safety a section of the Hay Creek Road in the North Fork area of the Flathead National Forest will be closed to all vehicle traffic Monday through Friday from now until March 31, 2013. Logging trucks are operating on this stretch of road during those days as part of the Hay-More Stewardship project.

The section of road which will be closed is National Forest System Road (NFSR) #376 (Hay Creek) from the intersection of County Road #486 (North Fork Road) to the intersection of NFSR #909 (Cyclone Creek Road.)

The road will be open from Friday at 6:00 p.m. to Monday at 12:01 a.m. for vehicle traffic. This stretch of road is being plowed which means it is not open to snowmobiles traffic.

For more information about area road access, contact the Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District, 406/387-3800.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Devil Creek Trailhead Area Closed of the Flathead National Forest

To provide for public safety the Devil Creek Trailhead Road #10185A of the Flathead National Forest will be closed to all vehicle traffic from now until November 25, 2012.

Logging equipment and trucks are operating on this stretch of road during those days as part of the Nyack-Fielding Stewardship project.

The section of road affected is Forest Road #10185A (Devil Creek Trailhead).

For more information about area road access, contact the Hungry Horse/Glacier View Ranger District at 406/387-3800.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Exploring the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex

Just south of Glacier National Park, across U.S. Highway 2, is the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. This massive expanse extends for 60 miles along the Continental Divide within the Flathead, Lolo, Helena, and Lewis and Clark National Forests, and includes the Great Bear, Scapegoat and the Bob Marshall Wilderness areas. The complex, encompassing more than 1.5 million acres, forms the third largest wilderness area in the lower 48.

By far the largest of the three wilderness areas in the complex is the Bob Marshall, also known as the “Bob”, which includes more than 1 million acres, and is considered to be one of the most completely preserved mountain ecosystems in the world. Counting more than 700 wilderness areas in the National Wilderness Preservation System, the Bob is the 19th largest wilderness in the United States, and the 5th largest in the lower 48.

The preserve is named after Robert "Bob" Marshall, a forester, conservationist, writer, wilderness activist, and one of the principal founders of The Wilderness Society. As the head of recreation management in the Forest Service in late 1930s, Marshall was the first to suggest a formal, national organization of individuals dedicated to the protection of primeval land. Twenty-five years after his death, Congress passed the Wilderness Act of 1964 which protected nine million acres of federal land from development. As part of this key legislation the Bob was among the original wilderness areas set aside for preservation.

In addition to the “Bob”, Mt. Marshall in the Adirondacks is also named in his honor.

The Bob is home to moose, elk, black bear, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, wolverines, mountain lions, lynx, gray wolves, bald eagles, osprey, pelicans and trumpeter swans. It’s also prime grizzly bear habitat, and has the highest population density of the species found anywhere in the United States outside of Alaska. As of 2010 it’s estimated that roughly 940 grizzlies live within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, which includes the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, Glacier National Park and the surrounding forests.

Elevations in the complex range as low as 4000 feet, to 9411 feet at the summit of Red Mountain in the Lewis and Clark Range. Perhaps one the most impressive feature of the wilderness, at least from a geological standpoint, is the long limestone escarpment known as the Chinese Wall. Part of the Continental Divide, the wall extends for 22 miles, and has an average height of more than 1000 feet. From the Haystack Mountain area west of the Divide the view of the escarpment is virtually unbroken for almost 20 miles.

Due to its geography, pacific maritime weather provides ample moisture, resulting in lush, dense forests on the west side of the Continental Divide. However, the eastern side of the Divide has a much drier climate, and is much more characterized by open country.

In addition to its rugged peaks, deep canyons, alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls, grassy meadows, towering forest of ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, larch, aspen and spruce, the Bob is also home to big river valleys, including the headwaters of the South Fork Flathead River.


Hiking in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex:

As you may have already guessed, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex is a hiker paradise. In fact, its home to more than 1700 miles of trails, and offers numerous recreational opportunities for day hikers, backpackers, horseback riders and cross-country skiers. Some of the more popular day hikes can be found in the Sawtooth Range near Choteau, Marion Lake near Essex, Stanton Lake near Hungry Horse, Jewel Basin near Big Fork, and Holland Lake near Condon, Montana.

Although there are no paved roads that bisect the interior of the Bob, the wilderness can be accessed by roads surrounding the complex. To the north is U.S. Highway 2; to the east are U.S. Highways 89 and 287; Montana Highway 200 to the south; and Montana Highway 83 to the west.


Additional Information:

* The Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation

* Flathead National Forest

* Flathead National Forest Trails

* Lolo National Forest Trails

* Lewis and Clark NF Trails

* Hiking Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness – by Erik Molvar

* Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex Map (Northern Half)

* Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex Map (Southern Half)



Jeff
HikinginGlacier.com
TetonHikingTrails.com
RockyMountainHikingTrails.com

Ramble On (2nd edition book on the rich history of hiking)
Exploring Glacier National Park
Exploring Grand Teton National Park