Summer of 2017 in SW Montana

[duffer]

A recap of the summer's adventures for my wife and I.

It started with the cabin fever cure. My wife and I were looking for something low elevation (to avoid the snow) for a day hike and settled for Camp Creek Reservoir. For full disclosure, Camp Creek Reservoir exists pretty much in name only. It was purposely breached, probably in the mid 1970's, because it likely wasn't economical to bring it up to Federal safety requirements. There are at least a half dozen other small dams in the Tobacco Roots of SW Montana that met the same fate. Access to this area is via FS Road 160 up South Willow Creek from the old mining town of Pony, MT. The trailhead for FS Trail 6309 is at the north end of the Potosi Campground and the trail follows S. Willow Creek downstream (north) for approximately a mile before heading northeast up a steep grade out of S. Willow into the Camp Creek drainage. Mileage from the campground to the "reservoir" is about 2.5 miles and relatively scenic. For the first mile, you just have to focus your eyes on the scenery and not at your feet. A text book page from the Montana Noxious Weed list and a reason some degree of range management is required for the over populous bovine population on the FS grazing allotment. Enough.


South Willow Creek was really ripping. Didn't get a photo of the ford but it was really moving there also. It would be an adrenaline rush in a kayak, at least until you got to the first log-----


Looking south, upstream, from trail 6309 in a small area of mostly native vegetation. Branham Peaks in background.


Wildlife


Near the S. Willow Camp Creek divide. At this point, mixed sagebrush/fir habitat.


Camp Creek Reservoir with Branham Peaks (left) and Potosi Peak for a backdrop.



We were a bit surprised by the presence of fish (brookies?).

 

[duffer]

The second trip was our annual trek to North Meadow Creek. We hit this one starting the 28th to beat the crowd but the weather wasn't too nice to us.


North Meadow Creek was just ripping.


Friends 97 XJ. He just put a new set of KO's on it.


Upper Twin Lake and Lady of the Lake Peak.


And how we spent most of Thursday-hidding from the hail in the Jeep-


Cleared off in the evening. Upper Twin again.


Camp.


Friday morning.




Yep, froze pretty hard.

 

[duffer]

Next on the list was Brannan Lakes on the South Boulder River. All photos from the point and shoot Canon as I found out the SD card for the real camera was still at home in the PC----



Sailor Lake


2nd or 3rd highest peak in the Roots and no name


Upper Brannan Lake






Mount Jackson


Outlet of Lower Brannan Lake






Outlet of Sailor

 

[duffer]

South Meadow Creek Lake was next on the list.

The first day we drove in and hiked around the lake to set up camp and then headed to the large cirque above South Meadow Creek Lake hoping to see a few goats. Alas, they didn't make an appearance but there was more than ample recent evidence of elk, moose, and bears.

Some of the puddles above the Lake:






Yep, still snow Sept 11 even after a very warm, dry summer.






The second day we bushwhacked our way down to another puddle a couple 100 feet lower than South Meadow. For sure another moose heaven.


South Meadow Lake proper.


Camp.


Hiking back to the Jeep.

 

[duffer]

A couple weeks later, it was Curly and Beall Lakes, back on the South Boulder River. This was a 3 day/2 night trip last week. Not much of an access issue but low range most definitely needed to get to the Curly Lake trailhead.

At the trailhead.




Curly Creek


Curly Lake


Upper Curly Creek bowl


Camp


Beall Lake


Puddle at the top of the west fork of Curly Creek


Hiking down to the above puddle


Another puddle near camp


Early morning shot of wet meadow below camp-and yes, the elk were talking to us both nights.


Curly Lake/Curly Creek drainage




A very intense boom show rolled over us the last night and probably dropped close to an inch of percip. But it also started the Conrow fire a few miles north of Cardwell, MT. We were a little concerned that the storm would light up something closer to where we were but thankfully, that didn't happen. But there was a spotter plane doing recon the next morning.

 

[duffer]

And then back to North Meadow, with somewhat better weather. North Meadow is absolutely the most fun trail in the "Roots" and rare is the occasion when I don't end up using the armor on the bottom of the JK.

Our friends XJ.


I think he came pretty close to wheels up on one place during our exit. Definitely pucker time.

Still plenty of smoke the first day. Upper Twin Lake and Lady of the Lake Peak.


Day 2 day hike to Lady of the Lake. Bottom of Bradley Meadows and Lady of the Lake Peak.




We chased a young bull moose out when we arrived at the lake. He didn't have anywhere else to go except swim as we were blocking his only exit with boulder fields preventing him from heading the rest of the way around the lake.


One of the inlet streams and where the moose had been residing.


Pika.


Lady of the Lake. The fishing was pretty much one cutthroat per cast. My wife really enjoyed it.


The third day we hiked to McKelvey and Cliff Lakes. Again, great fishing.
Upper Twin with no smoke. Yea!


McKelvey.


And a few of Cliff Lake.

 

[duffer]

And finally, there was the Magruder Corridor. This is something that I sort of wanted to do but wasn't overly enthused about it and had managed to put it off for decades.

The Magruder, IMO, is another trail in the west that is much over-hyped. This trail basically runs from Darby, Montana to Elk City, Idaho. It is sandwiched between two wilderness areas (Selway-Bitterroot to the north and the Frank Church River of No Return on the south-some 3.5 million acres in total) but the parts of those adjacent wilderness' to the road (FS468) are typical Idaho Batholith terrain-steep slopes and a paucity of anything that resembles a floodplain in the stream bottoms. You do get some tantalizing views of the Bitterroot peaks from the fire lookouts but that's as good as it gets.

Road: FS 468 is a mixed bag with reaches ranging from 2 lane pavement to single lane. While some literature categorizes the single lane portion as "primitive", it is not. All of it is graded with the only exceptions being the side trails to the lookout towers which are indeed a little rough. But at no place is 4x4 mode or low range necessary and I'm willing to bet it could be driven in a C6 Corvette by moving an occasional rock. Much is also made in the available literature about having extra fuel. Maybe with a 11 gal early Jeep tank-perhaps. I used 11.5 gal in the JK for the approximately 130 mile trip. Less than 1/2 a tank. Serious breakdowns could be problematic as in the middle of it, you are approximately 50 to 60 miles from help and there isn't any cell service. That said, the AAA wrecker truck will have no problems getting to you.

Campgrounds:
Due to that paucity of level floodplain, a lot of the campgrounds are a bit tenuous. The best ones are Fales Flat, Paradise, Indian Creek, Poet Creek, and Mountain Meadows. We stayed at Raven Creek the first night Poet Creek the second night. While we took 3 days for this trip, it could easily be completed in 2.

My wife and I met with one of the neighbors at 7:00 am and hit I90 west from Bozeman, MT. Thence MT 1 through Anaconda, MT to west of Georgetown Lake where we turned onto MT 38, also known as the Skalkaho Highway, to Darby, MT.

Perhaps the most scenic view of the entire 3 day trip was Skalkaho Falls located on the latter road.


We met the other two parties (from Clancy and Polson, MT) for the adventure at the West Fork Ranger station.


From the West Fork Ranger Station it is a relatively short drive to Nez Perce Pass, the boundary between Idaho and Montana.




Typical road on the Idaho side of the pass.


Near the bottom of the ID side of the pass we took our first side trip-to the Hell's 1/2 acre Lookout.




One of those tantalizing views of the Bitterroots.


Raven Creek. A tiny campground right on the road to Paradise (FS6223).


The next morning we drove down to Paradise. A number of outfitters for both rafting the Selway River and horsepacking trips to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness are based here. It is a very busy place.


After Paradise, we hit FS468 again and the Magruder Crossing bridge which spans the Selway. The country gets a bit monotonous at that point with expansive views of rolling low mountains and winding road.


The only mishap of the trip but those weren't exactly good tires. Pretty much down to the wear bars and he finally found the proper rock. I did patch the tire (Gempler's tire kit) and aired back up with the ARB in the JK. No further problems were encountered.


Poet Creek Campground.


Typical road west of Poet Creek.


Ran into white tails in several places along the route.


Near the Idaho City end.


Not a terrible way to spend 3 days but I have no desire to do it again. Lots better places to go closer to home.

 

[Torxhead]

Thanks for sharing your adventure Duf, I looked up that Nez Pierce Trail and it is quite a piece of history.

 

[oldjeeplady]

Thanks for sharing! I sure hope we can someday wheel in this area. Looks like you all had a great time!!

 

[Posi]

Beautiful area, thanks for sharing John.

 

[Belizean]

As others said nice pictures and thanks for the views!

 

[hole]

Always amazed by the pictures you post from your trips! And I've said it before, but those are great looking Border's you've got there

 

[Belizean]

I'm curious about the fire towers. Up in Oregon where I grew up the forest service has stop manning most all the fire towers now, but now I read an article several years back they rent them out over night to campers. Those towers are up above the trees pretty high with a great view of the area. Do you know anything about that there ? That one looks like a good view also

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Great pictures and really like your 4-legged camp buddies.
LG

 

[duffer]

Forgot one.

This 3 day trip happened the second week of August last summer-more Tobacco Root's.

The first day we drove in (2 to 3 hour on Jeep trail) and set up camp in our favorite spot in the meadow below Sunrise Peak.


We then hiked over to Crystal Lake.


Lakeshore/Gladstone Mine remains at Crystal Lake.


Then we headed back to camp. Wisconsin Creek near camp.


The next morning we hiked to Sunrise and Twin Lakes.
Sunrise Lake.


Mount Jackson.








And then to Lower Twin Lake arriving about the same time as the afternoon boomers.






The last day arrived pretty chilly.


We packed up camp and then headed to Jackson Lake that we bypassed the day before.


My wife spent a couple hours fishing and then we headed home.

 

[duffer]

I'm curious about the fire towers. Up in Oregon where I grew up the forest service has stop manning most all the fire towers now, but now I read an article several years back they rent them out over night to campers. Those towers are up above the trees pretty high with a great view of the area. Do you know anything about that there ? That one looks like a good view also

Hell's Half Acre was still Forest Service manned. This one, NW of Elk City, was a rental. Not sure about the others.

 

[Hedgehog]

Did you notice where Bigfoot placed a rock on top of the road sign? that Bigfoot is a wyley dude/critter.