This pristine wilderness is remote, beautiful, and difficult to explore without the assistance of either pack animals or packrafts. supposed to get a free bull trout targeting “stamp” on your license (last time I checked anyway). Don't forget forest rangers are the law back there and they (one in particular) follow it to the letter! Delta, Alaska/Horizon, United, Alegiant, Frontier and US Airways offer flights into Glacier National Airport (FCA). possible because it gets hot on the south side of the pass and there isn’t Cast for native trout along grassy meadows bursting with wildflowers. Especially toward the end of the trip, going into Meadow Creek Gorge. The designated river includes the North Fork, Middle Fork and South Fork above Hungry Horse Reservoir and features recreation, scenery, historic sites, unique fisheries and wildlife such as grizzly bears and wolves. and not any tributaries, you also can’t keep them and technically you are after the take-out and climb over the small rocky embankment with your packraft and paddle hard through the rapid. On my recent trip into the Bob Marshall Wilderness, we floated about 40 miles of the South Fork Flathead Drainage. Full transparency: I own a packraft rental company. isn’t a bone crusher, but you might lose your sunglasses and anything else that Here's the gist: 1) Hike 16 miles into the wilderness with a very heavy pack. The deep green water and the canyons make for some great pictures. you don’t see til you’re almost there you can probably skirt it to the right if None of I only got a few pictures of the day and none of the rapids we went through. It is beautiful and striking in a hundred different ways. Brand Ambassador Inspirations + Gear Lists. Opportunities for loops which combine both abound. ... we hiked up a game trail that lead to the top of a bluff where we could overlook the river. The first and third time we entered the Bob (Bob Marshall Wilderness) via the water until you get over the top. If you do miss it….once again Sprawling more than 1.5 million acres, the Bob Marshall Wilderness complex (known to locals as “the Bob”), which also includes the Great Bear Wilderness and the Scapegoat Wilderness, is perhaps the … It is also very remote. Gossamer Gear | Hiking from South Fork to Big Salmon Lake. All of these trails were built by humans, shaped by standards of human convenience in the wilderness. The Flathead River (Salish : ntx̣ʷetkʷ, ntx̣ʷe), in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Montana, originates in the Canadian Rockies to the north of Glacier National Park and flows southwest into Flathead Lake, then after a journey of 158 miles (254 km), empties into the Clark Fork. Not cutting other boats off or paddling through fishing holes that people are fishing, 7. 12. This gin-clear river runs through the Bob Marshall Wilderness for nearly its full length, south to north. Prairie is located at the first pack-bridge that goes over the South Fork. For an ultralight backpacker, packrafting will only occasionally prove to be the fastest option, especially given that contemporary packrafting gear will add between 6 and 10 pounds to the pack: 3-6 pounds for a proper raft, 2 pounds for a good paddle, a pound or a bit less for a PFD, and often a pound or so in extra clothing. Please try again. Talk to the rangers and get a tour. Fires are a major consideration...they can happen at any time, but are likely at the end of July and throughout August- smokey air and trail closures being the main problems resulting from them. Trail Ratings 5.0 from 1 vote #1 in Bob Marshall Wilderness #1811 Overall. The deep green water and the canyons make for some great pictures. The South Fork is unique because it provides consecutive days of moderate wilderness floating. In part 1 we explored the Chinese Wall. Interested but not sure where to start? Look It gains volume with the contributions of the White River, Big and Little Salmon creeks, Black Bear Creek, and other small tributaries. Hope you packed a rod. SOUTH FORK FLATHEAD | Wilderness River Outfitters. Be nice and appreciative to the rangers and other forest service workers. They are managed by three national forests - Flathead, Helena-Lewis and Clark, and Lolo, and five ranger districts - Spotted Bear, Hungry Horse, Lincoln, Rocky Mountain, and Seeley Lake. long day of hiking your first day and then float the rest of the trip (its The ranger wouldn't budge, or call in to verify his license. It's not an especially robust one, being like backpacking fundamentally unglamorous, but it is out there. We are a small hands-on team based in Austin, TX. Extra water makes Hole in the Wall Gorge more challenging but not impossible for intermediate rafters. It might be inevitable that it will be a permitted river just because of the sheer number of vessels packrafting brings but this will slow it. of people doing the whole South Fork trip in 4 days, but I would recommend at least 6