Bitterroot National Forest Parks and Outdoors Travel Guide

Bitterroot National Forest Parks and Outdoors Travel Guide

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Panoramic including fall ferns in Bitterroot National Forest, Montana
Fall ferns in Bitterroot National Forest, Montana (Bill G./courtesy, Bitterroot National Forest)
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Bitterroot National Forest Parks and Outdoors Travel Tips

By Brian Kevin

  • Whatever your outdoor obsessions may be—running big-water rivers, hiking through bear country, horsepacking through glacier-draped high country, fly-fishing a blue-ribbon trout stream—you'll find this forest to be one of the world's last great places.
  • Two stunning, jagged-peaked mountain ranges, the Bitterroot and the Sapphire, rise within the forest; these peaks are drained by the roaring Selway, Clearwater, and Bitterroot Rivers. Nearly half the forest is designated wilderness, much more the domain of deer, elk, moose, black bears, and bighorn sheep than of humans.
  • Visit the Bitterroot in late mid-to-late June to drop in on the Bitterroot Birding and Nature Festival. Along with speakers, demonstrations, and a wildlife art show, you can join in on any of several group outings to seek out some of the 230 species found in the valley.
  • Those on horseback should visit the Lower Crazy Creek stock campground off Medicine Springs Road, about 35 miles south of Hamilton. From here, you can access the Warm Springs Trail, which follows the canyon for a gentle, pine-forested four miles before a rugged five-mile climb to the scenic Overwhich Falls.

Bitterroot National Forest Overview

The Bitterroot National Forest, which straddles the Idaho-Montana border amid a vast patchwork of public lands, isn't that easy to pick out on a map. But that's only fitting—political boundaries seem overwhelmed by the vast, howling wilderness that stretches with few interruptions along the reach of the northern Rocky Mountains, from Wyoming's Wind River Range deep into Canada. Whatever your outdoor obsessions may be—running big-water rivers, hiking through bear country, horsepacking through glacier-draped high country, fly-fishing a blue-ribbon trout stream—you'll find this country is one of the world's last great places. Read More

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Hotels

McCart Lookout

Johnson Peak Trail
Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, MT

Distance: 26.7 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
expert favorite hotel
Expert Rated & Recommended
5.0
from: $650

Triple Creek Ranch

Best Resorts & Lodges
5551 West Fork Road
Darby, MT 59829 Map

Distance: 5.1 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: 4 class stars

expert favorite hotel
Expert Rated & Recommended
4.0
5.0

Lolo Hot Springs

38500 W. Hwy. 12
Lolo, MT 59847 Map

Distance: 57.3 mi.
(from destination center)

Hotel Class: Not Yet Rated
expert favorite hotel
Expert Rated & Recommended
3.0
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Attractions

Lolo Pass

expert favorite attraction
Highway 12 on the Montana-Idaho border
Lolo, Idaho 59847

Distance: 51.8 mi. (from destination center)

Description:

Lolo Pass practically crawls with recreationists during the winter months, but there's room for... Read More

Expert Rated & Recommended
5_0
5_0

Bitter Root Brewing

expert favorite attraction
One block east of Main Street and Hwy. 93 intersection
101 Marcus St.
Hamilton, Montana 59840

Distance: 23.7 mi. (from destination center)

Description: Handcrafted beers, live music, and great Mexican fare—Bitter Root Brewing is a Hamilton hot... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
4_0
3_0

Lost Trail Powder Mountain

expert favorite attraction
Hwys. 93 and 43 at the Montana/Idaho border
Sula, Montana

Distance: 10.5 mi. (from destination center)

Description: Glide down the pine-studded slopes of Lost Trail Powder Mountain. Lost Trail bridges the... Read More
Expert Rated & Recommended
4_0
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Airports

Major Airports near Bitterroot National Forest

Distance (mi.)
Boise Air Terminal Gowen Field 188.2 map
Spokane International Airport 194.4 map

Other Smaller Airports near Bitterroot National Forest

Distance (mi.)
Missoula Johnson-Bell Field 69.8 map
Lewiston Nez Perce County Rgnl Airport 135.6 map
Pullman Moscow Regional Airport 147.1 map

Flight Deals to Bitterroot National Forest

Originating From
Portland, OR (PDX) to Boise (BOI) $126

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