District 293, Montana

Rugged, heavily timbered mountain terrain ranging from roughly 4,300 feet in the Blackfoot River valley bottoms to approximately 8,300 feet on the ridgelines; peaks in the adjacent Scapegoat Wilderness reach 9,400 feet (Red Mountain). Slopes are steep and rocky above timberline in the northern mountains. The valley corridor along Montana Highway 200 contains flatter riparian ground. Most public land is continuous timbered upland; lower benches and creek bottoms tend to be privately held.

Primary vehicle access is Montana Highway 200, which runs east-west through the district via Rogers Pass and follows the Blackfoot River corridor. State Route 141 and the Ogden Mountain Road define the eastern and southern boundaries. The Helena-Lewis and Clark National Forest (Upper Blackfoot Ranger District) maintains a network of Forest Service roads providing access to the interior; key routes include Alice Creek Road (FR 293), which reaches the Alice Creek Trailhead and Lewis and Clark Pass Trailhead on the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, and FR 4106, which accesses the Dry Creek Trailhead (approximately 20 miles northwest of Lincoln). Indian Meadows Trailhead and Arrastra Creek Trailhead provide entry into the Scapegoat Wilderness (Indian Meadows typically inaccessible by passenger vehicle until late May). Flesher Pass Trailhead provides Continental Divide access. Public land comprises approximately 59 percent of the district (53% USFS, 1% BLM, 5% state); private land (41%) is concentrated along the Blackfoot River bottom and lower Landers Fork, restricting some lateral access. A small closure area exists around the town of Lincoln (Section 24, T14N, R9W). The Nevada Lake WMA is closed December 2 through May 15. Grizzly bear food storage requirements apply on all National Forest lands within the district. Cell service is unreliable throughout most of the district.

Dominant cover is dense conifer forest (lodgepole pine, spruce-fir) across public timbered slopes. Lower elevation drainages support riparian cottonwood and willow corridors. Isolated alpine meadows and open basins occur at higher elevations in the Scapegoat Wilderness portion. Private agricultural ground in the Blackfoot and Landers Fork valley bottoms includes pasture and hay fields. Nevada Lake WMA provides wetland habitat within the district.

Elk are the primary big game species; the Granite Butte Elk Management Unit (HDs 284, 293, 339, and 343 combined) recorded 912 elk in a 2024 aerial count against an objective of 480-720, placing the herd above management objective. Elk in HD 293 serve as a refuge population during hunting season, with many animals migrating east across the Continental Divide to HD 343 winter range after rifle season. White-tailed deer are present throughout, with mule deer also present on drier slopes and ridgelines. Black bears are present district-wide under general OTC license. Grizzly bears occur throughout the district. Mountain lions inhabit the timbered slopes. Gray wolves are present in the Blackfoot watershed. The district is described as not a trophy elk district; decent bulls are harvested annually but the adjacent western districts typically produce larger bulls.