Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex is an administrated unit of the Flathead National Forest, the Lewis and Clark National Forest, Lolo National Forest and the Helena National Forest. The United States Congress designated the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area as part of the original Wilderness Act of 1964 and it now encompasses over 1.5 million acres. Within this complex are three wildernesses: Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Great Bear.

Many credit early forester, Wilderness preservation pioneer, and Wilderness Society cofounder Bob Marshall with single-handedly protecting at least 5.4 million acres of wildland. The least he deserves is to have this pristine area named for him. This region, in fact, was set aside as the South Fork, Pentagon, and Sun River Primitive Areas in 1941, and designated the "Bob" in 1964. Here is one of the most completely preserved mountain ecosystems in the world, the kind of Wilderness most people can only imagine: rugged peaks, alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls, grassy meadows embellished with shimmering streams, a towering coniferous forest, and big river valleys.

The Wilderness, which includes the North and South Forks of the Sun River and the Middle and South Forks of the Flathead River, runs for 60 miles along the Continental Divide, with elevations ranging from 4,000 feet to more than 9,000 feet. A huge escarpment called the Chinese Wall, a part of the Divide, highlights the Bob's vast beauty, with an average height of more than 1,000 feet and a length of 22 miles. The Chinese Wall extends into Scapegoat Wilderness to the south.

The Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex is the last holdout habitat south of Canada for the grizzly bear and provides critical habitat to the endangered gray wolves as well. Elk, whitetail and mule deer, Canadian lynx, bobcats, bighorn sheep, mountain goats, black bears, wolverines and cougars also make their home in the Bob, along with smaller mammals such as beaver, river otters, snowshoe hares and marten. There are dozens of birds that call this area home, especially in the summer. Bald eagles, falcons, hawks, owls, grouse, and woodpeckers. In camp areas, you'll find Steller's jays, Clark's nutcrackers, camp robbers, chickadees, nuthatches and more.

Summer is the major season of use in the Bob Marshall Country, with July being the peak month. From the September 15 early rifle season on, big-game hunting becomes the most popular recreational activity west of the Continental Divide. About 30 percent of the hunters go with one of the fifty-five professional outfitters who operate in the complex. Elk is by far the most popular big-game species.

Rafting the wild Middle Fork of the Flathead is best from mid-July to mid-August, when good weather coincides with adequate flows. Only the skilled expert should attempt to float the Middle Fork during peak runoff in June. The wildest whitewater boils in the canyon below Spruce Park, where it drops an average of 41 feet per mile. Most of the float parties put in at Schafer, after either flying or packing in. Schafer is the only historic aircraft landing field within the compel open to the public.

The Bob is classic horse country because of its vastness, relatively gently terrain, and wide mid-elevation river valleys with abundant forage for grazing. It is probably one of the few Wildernesses where horse users still outnumber hikers and backpackers.

You'll find more than 1,000 miles of a well-developed trail system, with maintained paths giving way to less well managed trails as you travel deeper into Montana's largest Wilderness.

Come enjoy this wonderful area with an America Outdoors outfitter today, who provide fishing, hunting, winter sports, canoeing, kayaking, scenic floats, mountain biking, hiking, tours and treks, educational programs, family trips and dude ranch lodging.