Category Archives: Trail Reports

Wilderness fires prompt trail closures

Scalp Fire from Spotted Bear LO, Aug 27, 2017, 1830MDT - courtesy of Heather Welch

Scalp Fire from Spotted Bear LO, Aug 27, 2017, 1830MDT – courtesy of Heather Welch

From the official press release…

Kalispell, MT-September 2, 2017 – Seven fires are currently burning in the Spotted Bear Ranger District on the Flathead National Forest and with active fire growth on several of the fires, district officials have closed trails for public safety. The fires are burning in the Bob Marshall and Great Bear Wilderness Areas. Significant stretches of the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) are affected by the fires and trail closures.

Individual fires are listed below with a link to more specific fire and trail closure information:

Strawberry Fire – Upper Middle Fork, Great Bear Wilderness, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5574/#

Scalp Fire – Upper Middle Fork, Great Bear Wilderness, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5520/#

Dolly Varden Fire – Upper Middle Fork, Great Bear Wilderness, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5519/#

Soakem Fire – Upper Middle Fork, Great Bear Wilderness, as of 9/1/17, 1.5 acres; located in the upper Minor Creek drainage. No closures currently associated with this fire.

Reef Fire – Youngs Creek drainage, Bob Marshall Wilderness, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5525/#

Rice Ridge Fire – Youngs Creek drainage, Bob Marshall Wilderness, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5414/#

Monahan Fire – Danaher Creek drainage, Bob Marshall Wilderness, https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5401/#

There are several trail closures on the Lewis and Clark National Forest, Rocky Mountain Ranger District also associated with the Scalp Fire, and the Crucifixion Fire in the Badger-Two Medicine area (https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5528/).

For a map of all the trail closures within the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, visit the Flathead National Forest webpage, https://go.usa.gov/xRHrA.

Visitors planning to travel along the CDT, contact the Spotted Bear Ranger District for information on alternative travel routes

“Safety for the public is my main concern when closing trails, however there are many areas still open for backcountry use and camping” says Spotted Bear detailed District Ranger Gordon Ash.

Contact the Spotted Bear Ranger District at (406) 758-5376 for current fire information and opportunities for backcountry use.

Trail condition reports for August 15 posted

Fireweed below Nasukoin Lake, Aug 12, 2017 - W. K. Walker

Fireweed below Nasukoin Lake, Aug 12, 2017 – W. K. Walker

The latest Forest Service Trail Condition Reports for the Hungry Horse and Glacier View ranger districts have been posted to the website Trail Conditions page.

These reports contain a fair amount of useful information. Besides trail conditions, they include trail numbers, their official names and end-to-end mileages.

Note that the entire area is now under Stage II fire restrictions!

Gibraltar Ridge Fire closure order affects Trail Creek, PNT

Gibraltar Ridge Fire Closure Map, Aug 8, 2017

Gibraltar Ridge Fire Closure Map, Aug 8, 2017

A closure order was issued this afternoon in the Kootenai National Forest as a result of the Gibraltar Ridge Fire in the Eureka area.

This closure affects travel from the North Fork over Trail Creek into the Kootenai. The Forest Service is posting signs at the North Fork Road/Trail Creek Road junction, and at the Tuchuck Trailhead.

This also affects the Pacific Northwest Trail (PNT). Notifications are going up at strategic trailheads for the PNT in both the Kootenai and Flathead Forests.

For more information on the Gibraltar Ridge Fire, see the Inciweb page at https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/5474/