Cold Trail in the Bitterroots

Instead of staying high on the ridgelines at Lolo Pass, they mistakenly followed a fishing trail to the Kooskooskee Lochsa River meaning rough water in Nez Perce. The trail begins with a 2 miles of swithbacks then follows the ridgeline for 6 miles. It climbs approximately vertical feet from the Lochsa River to Snowbank Camp. This trail climbs steadily and really gives you a feel for the difficulties the expedition faced. This trip does not require any technical skills but we recommend you are in good physical condition, have previous hiking experience climbing in elevation and the desire and determination to reach the top!

If others in your group want to see the Lolo Trail but not climb Wendover Ridge an alternative itinerary can be planned with historical interpretations and both groups will meet at camp to share their stories of the day. Through his extensive knowledge of the area and its history you will find rarely visited sites, learn the historical significance, and participate in thought provoking dialogue. We invite you to explore the Lolo Trail with us! Some thickly wooded near watering holes and some are along the open ridge line with mountain views for miles.

Every stop includes full historical interpretations plus discussions while driving. Book Now August Even though it was only mid September, winter was already gaining a toe hold.

1. Bitterroot Mountains Near Lolo Pass | Discovering Lewis & Clark ®.
2. Hiking and Historical trips the Lolo Trail - Lewis and Clark Trail Adventures.
3. Hike Lolo Trail?

The ancient Indian trail that they were following was on a high ridge, exposed to the weather and wind. The wind can be violent as it rakes the high ridges of the Bitterroots. Even in the relative protection of a stand of hemlock trees I could see what the wind could do as I looked at the snow surface littered with tree limbs, Spanish moss, and needles. It was September 16th when the Corps of Discovery passed where we had made our camp.

It was a wretched day for the party, the most wretched of their journey.

It snowed all day, accumulating six to eight inches deep, wetting their clothing, chilling them to the bone. All they wanted to do is get through those mountains and back down to low country, away from the snow and cold and gnawing hunger. But, on that cold and miserable day, it must have seemed an impossibility as they climbed higher and the snow piled deeper. When one looks at their route in its entirety, very little of it was in the mountains. Most of it was in the great prairies of the lower and middle Missouri watershed, or the valleys between mountain ranges in the upper Missouri, or the plateau country of the Columbia River.

But here they were in the midst of the Rocky Mountains, an up and down terrain far more intimidating than anything they had ever experienced. It was--and is--a land of incredible diversity.

About the Bitterroot Trail

Among the thickly timbered and brushy lower elevations are magnificent stands of cedar, and, in the shaded forest floor beneath, a dazzling array of ferns and mosses. Even in the high elevations where the forest thins out, Lewis reported observing "eight different kinds of pines. Among this diversity, there is one thing ever present: Snow begins in September, and once it takes hold, layer upon layer of it builds--twelve foot snow packs are not unusual for the high elevations--and winter lasts and lasts. The roads in the high Bitterroots often do not open until some time in July. Then fall comes, they quickly close, and winter begins again.

Does that sound a little like heaven for a cross-country skier? Add a little scenery: The route follows something called the Lolo Motorway, an old and very narrow road completed in Fortunately the Forest Service has left it as is. In summer, it's a great mountain bike trip. In the winter with snow, it narrows down to something resembling a. I can't think of a more perfect route for a multi-day winter trip. The trip was planned for spring break at the university where I work. Since the break fell in mid March, we'd be on the trail just before the spring equinox.

Officially, it's the tail end of winter, but in the high Bitterroots, mid March is still very much mid winter, particularly when you consider that the Lolo Motorway is not usually passable until early July. Then it came to assembling a party. I thought I had all the ingredients of a great trip-- bountiful snow, beautiful country, and fascinating history--but when I tried to interest friends and university students in the trip, I couldn't find any takers.

Perhaps it was too late in the season and their thoughts had already turned to summer, but, fortunately, my wife Kathy came to the rescue. Actually, she had been excited about the trip from the very beginning. Thus, in the end, our party consisted of just the two of us. Not having a larger group to help spread out the load, we began paring the weight down, chiefly deciding against a tent but taking instead a tarp for shelter. It's not nearly as nice as a tent--and you have to be much more particular in finding protective areas in the trees for camping--but, having used a tarp for some previous winter camping trips, I knew it would get us by.

Admittedly, at the start of the trip, I was a bit overconfident of my sheltering abilities. During a storm on the last night of the trip, the tarp did have its drawbacks, as you'll see. It was a beautiful, sunny morning when Mike Lewis pulled into the small pull-off at the mouth of Papoose Creek. In the short drive, Mike had been filling us in on what the trail would be like and what landmarks to look for. With plaid shirt rolled to the sleeves, open friendly face--and a pair of cross-country skis in the back of his vehicle--he was the perfect person to tell us about the country.

For years, Mike had worked in the Bitterroots. Originally from Vinton, Iowa, Mike had first come to these mountains by working summers on a trail crew for the Forest Service.

Seasonal work turned into full time work and the Bitterroots became his new home. And, then, as we all do as we advance up the professional ladder, he moved on to work for other Forests, but, all the time, he was homesick for the Bitterroots. Finally, he could stand it no longer, and selling all his possessions, he bought a motor home and came back home. Now he lives in his motor home and works at Lochsa Lodge, a small, rustic lodge hidden in the dense forest off US 12, the only place for miles where you can get a meal or gas up your vehicle.

• Stops along the way….
• Superstring Theory: 1 (Cambridge Monographs on Mathematical Physics)!
• Bitterroot National Forest - Special Places?
• Biking Montana’s Bitterroot Trail: Missoula to Hamilton | Glacier Country?

We had met Mike there and he'd had kindly agreed to drop us off at the trailhead and shuttle our vehicle around to the end point. Our parting was quick. We left Mike with information on the length of our route, when we expected to be out, and who to contact should we not get out. He promised to leave our vehicle at the end--and once more said that he wished he was going along--and then he was off, back to his duties at the lodge.

Suddenly we found ourselves alone. Mike's leaving removed any chance of changing our mind--as if we had any all along. We clipped in our skis and hoisted packs, and headed into the deep shade of the cedar forest. Our packs were filled with a week's worth of food and a gallon of white gas--almost every drop of which we would need for cooking and melting snow for our drinking needs.

Special Places

Even though we were following a snowbound road, it took us two days to climb the 2, feet to reach the Lolo Trail. All to the best. Our slow pace gave us a chance to gradually get used to the daily routine of the days on the trail. And it gave us a chance to get a feel for the magnitude of Lewis and Clark's undertaking. Immediately to the west of us was a prominent ridgeline called Wendover Ridge. Wendover Ridge was the ridge that Old Toby picked when he realized that that he had overshot the usual access to the trail--and what a ridge he had picked.

Two of our horses gave out, poor and too much hurt to proceed, and left in the rear. Although the weather on the trip and ours were similar in that respect, they were different in quite another. As anyone does when they go off cross-country skiing, we hoped for respite from the mechanized world. That feeling goes double for a multi-day trip. It's not particularly pleasant to load up a week's worth of food and equipment on your back and end up having to ski the same path used by snowmobiles. The tracks spread out off the trail, heading off in many directions and up and over nearby slopes.

In the summer, motorized travel in this area of national historical value--even mountain bike riding--is restricted to the Lolo Motorway, but none of these latter day winter travelers appeared to pay any attention to such nuisances. Kathy was particularly incensed by it, sputtering a few rude remarks as she slipped and fell backwards in one steep mogul that the passing of machines had created in the trail.

The next day, however, we came across a sight that brought her a little perverse pleasure: No one was in sight, nor had there been anyone there in at least a day. The owner of the derelict machine must have been carried out by a pal. A short distance later we experienced a miracle: We never saw or heard a machine the rest of the trip.

The remoteness of that portion of the trail helped, but, too, it was the lateness of the winter season. With over inches of snow annually, Lost Trail consistently enjoys the greatest snow depth of any Montana ski resort. Lost Trail offers opportunities for both the alpine skier and snowboard enthusiast.



For more information or snow conditions contact Lost Trail Powder Mountain ski area at or www. The ski club grooms 24 kilometers of cross country trails for classic skiing trails are not groomed for skating. For more information or snow conditions visit www. Snowmobiling continues to increase in popularity as more people discover the enjoyment of motorized winter recreation.

The fabulous winter scenery of the Bitterroot National Forest is accessible to people of all ages who enjoy the pleasure of snowmobile travel. Please remember that snowmobiling is not allowed in any designated Wilderness Areas. Click here for more information about area snowmobile clubs Bitterroot Ridgerunners Snowmobile Club. The cabin built in is located on the north shore of Lake Como. It features large windows and a deck overlooking the lake and nearby mountains. There is no drinking water available and the woodshed at the cabin will be stocked with firewood. Also, the road to the cabin is not plowed, so you may have to park at the boat launch and walk across the dam to reach the cabin.

Lake Como is a beautiful setting in the wintertime and is popular with cross-country skiers, snowshoers, and ice fishermen. Enjoy a backcountry experience at the historic Magruder Ranger Station located on the Selway River between the 1. It is a two-story, five-room log building. This structure was built prior to and used as a guard station in the summertime by the fireguards.

The structure was built as a range line cabin in and utilized as such into the 's. This one room log cabin measures 15'x19' with a steep pitched roof.