District 141, Montana

Extremely rugged, steep mountainous terrain with elevations ranging from approximately 4,000 feet at the Middle Fork of the Flathead River to 8,705 feet on Great Northern Mountain. The Continental Divide forms the eastern boundary. Eighty percent of public land has a slope equal to or less than 36 degrees, indicating highly steep terrain throughout. The Middle Fork of the Flathead River — a designated Wild and Scenic River — originates in and flows approximately 50 miles through the wilderness. An overthrust fault structure spans 400 miles through the region. Lakes are rare; over 500 miles of named streams and rivers drain the wilderness.

HD 141 is almost entirely roadless designated wilderness — motorized and mechanized vehicle use is prohibited throughout. Primary non-wilderness corridor access is along U.S. Highway 2 near the northern district boundary at Marias Pass. The main motorized approach to trailheads on the west and south sides of the district is via Forest Road 38 (East Side Hungry Horse Reservoir Road), a gravel road running south from Hungry Horse along Hungry Horse Reservoir. Forest Road 895 (West Side Reservoir Road) provides secondary access. The Spotted Bear Ranger Station (Spotted Bear Ranger District, Flathead National Forest; 406-758-5208) is the primary staging area located approximately 55 miles south of Hungry Horse. Key trailheads include Gorge Creek (71 miles south of Hungry Horse, elevation 4,200 ft), Meadow Creek (67 miles south, elevation 4,000 ft), and Middle Big Bill Trailhead (61 miles south, elevation 5,000 ft). Schafer Meadows hosts the only open airstrip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, supporting horse/aircraft-assisted hunting. Approximately 310 miles of system trails exist in the Great Bear Wilderness, with over 1,700 miles across the entire Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex. Stream crossings are frequent and can be dangerous during runoff. Cell service is essentially absent throughout the district. All interior hunting requires hiking or horseback travel.

Dense coniferous forest dominates the valleys and lower slopes, consisting primarily of spruce, pine, and fir species. River bottoms are thickly forested with alders alongside the conifer mix. Mid-elevation terrain transitions to open grass parks and alpine meadows on gentler slopes, with rugged ridge tops and subalpine habitat near the Continental Divide. Huckleberry is abundant at mid-elevations, particularly notable during the September archery season. Habitat transitions from dense old-growth conifer in drainages to subalpine fir and open meadow complexes higher on the Flathead and Lewis and Clark ranges.

Elk are present throughout the district, belonging to the Bob Marshall Elk Management Unit (EMU); most elk use wilderness habitats during at least part of the year. Mule deer populate the district with the long-term average antlered buck harvest of 16 animals. White-tailed deer are present at low densities — the district supports some of the lowest white-tailed deer densities in Region 1, with harvest fluctuating severely after hard winters. Grizzly bears are notably abundant, with some of the densest grizzly populations in the contiguous United States. Black bears (including cinnamon color phase) are common. Gray wolves occupy the area. Mountain goats and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep inhabit the high-elevation terrain. Moose are present in riparian corridors and forested drainages. Mountain lions are present. Lynx and wolverine also inhabit the wilderness. Elk rut can begin as early as the first week of September and run approximately one month. White-tailed deer rut can start as early as late October and run through late December.