Northwest Montana Hiking

WoW, Northwest Montana Bighorn Sheep.
Shot while hiking in Glacier National Park, Northwest Montana.

Northwest Montana Mountain Biking

Mountain Biking Around Lake Koocanusa Northwest Montana
Location: Between Eureka and LibbyType: Road RideRating: ExperiencedMileage: 80miles This 80-mile loop ride is arguably one of the best road riding opportunities in the Big Sky state. When the government created Libby Dam in 1972, they flooded towns and the whole Kootenai River Valley. The monster of a lake created now extends 90 miles upstream with 48 miles in the U.S. and 42miles in Canada. a cyclist's dream. It is difficult to find a level section on this ride...you'll continually find yourself going either up or down and around another bend as the road hugs high above the lake's shore. The hills and the distance earn this ride an Experienced rating.

You can ride on either side of the lake.
You never know what wildlife you will see.
Without a Car you notice alot more and don't spook the critters.
The different smells along the way are wonderful,
pine trees, cottonwood, and all kinds of plant life.
If you Love Mountain Biking, this Really is a Great Ride, and HEY
if you get Hot you can jump in....

Fall is in The Air

Well the crisp morning air has give us a break from the smoke. Fall is such a nice time of year, chilly mornings and warm afternoons. Everybody is hustling around getting ready for the back to school stuff. And preparing to dig back into work. The larch needles starting changing early this year due to the drought conditions. So Fall is here Early.

Northwest Montana Fire Update

Well today I cannot help but Tear up.
The news is reporting the fires, but a day makes over 100 percent difference in growth. Everything I have read on the "official" sites say that the Star Meadows Fire is 16,000 acres, but the daily interlake newspaper says it is 49,000. Another official website says
Report for Brush Creek as of Aug 4, 2007(Wildland Fire Incident)
Area: 15,981 acres (120% increase from yesterday)

Location: Flathead county, MT -
Approximately 25 miles West of Whitefish,

MTCause: LightningTeam Type: 2
Team Leader: J. Koehler0.

0% Contained
Expected Containment: Aug 30, 2007

Now August 30th containment is frightening. Isn't there planes and help around the US to help Northwest Montana Put these fires out. Today, the last I heard the TOWN of Seeley Lake was being evacuted, can you imagine, in the height of tourist season these businessed have to evacuate and remove their valuable, the reports say that SUNDAY afternoon, which now it is 3:36 pm that the fire was fastly moving toward the town and was 1.5 miles away.. my prayers are with them all. It does not Look Good.

The Star Meadows (brushcreek fire) is huge and no containment. i have heard of people who have lost livestock and not to mention the wild animals. How can they breath and the smoke is so thick how will they know which way to go. Some say fire is natural, I have to wonder what I can do to help. I told myself during Katrina that if I lived within an hour of those folks I would help and Here I sit at my computer and there is NOTHING I can do.


Keep Northwest Montana in Your Prayers Folks.
We need Rain Desparately.
There is NO END in sight to these wildfires.
These Folks have lost grazing, lost cattle and their
way of life is changed forever.
PLEASE CHECK BACK TO THIS WEBSITE
WHEN ALL THIS IS OVER IN THE FALL
AND WE WILL LET YOU KNOW
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
THESE PEOPLE.

Here are some more Good Links for
Northwest Montana Fires Updates



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And check out this daily Interlake article...



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SEELEY LAKE WEB CAM



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WHITEFISH WEB CAM




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GLACIER NATIONAL PARK
WEB CAM DIRECTORY



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WEB CAM DIRECTORY

~FLATHEAD VALLEY
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MONTANA WEB CAMS



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FS WebCam BitterRoot Valley Montana
http://www.fsvisimages.com/biva1/biva1.html


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GLACIER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WEBCAM
http://www.glacierwebcam.com/

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Fire Updates

Well BAD has got Worse.
The fire in the Star Meadows area is now 15,000 plus acres and zero percent containment, people are being made to get out of their homes. It shows no sign of letting up. The Skyland fire in the Glacier Park area is over 30,000 acres and 2% contained... this is just 2 of the many wildfires burning in Northwest Montana. Again, Keep these FOLKs in your prayers.

I hate to be synical, but in a day and age when we can put an apparatus on our head and play a game and the amazing technology we have at our fingertips and we can not put out fires. Why dont we have jets dropping more water, or the weather controlling machines that must exist. When you look at the maps online of the fire you see it was very VERY small and it seems it could have been put out. It does make you wonder.

Check Out the Photos, Maps and Updates at
http://www.inciweb.org/incident/maps/886/


Montana Fire News


Seeley Fire Prompts Evacuation Order
HELENA AP) – Ground crews Saturday were pulled off a new wildfire in western Montana for safety and officials issued an evacuation order for homes in the area of Seeley and Placid lakes, popular vacation getaways northeast of Missoula.The evacuation did not apply to the community of Seeley Lake, a tourist spot with restaurants, lodging and other services."This fire is in the hands of God right now," Gov. Brian Schweitzer said after flying over the blaze in a helicopter Saturday.Fire information officer Jamie Kirby said the blaze that started Friday afternoon was estimated at 5,000 acres Saturday afternoon and had been fanned by winds of 25-30 mph. There were no reports of homes burning, she said.Possibly 200 homes were covered by the evacuation order, according to Kirby, who said she was uncertain about their distance from the fire. They are a mix of year-round and vacation dwellings.Schweitzer urged people to leave without delay."Open the gates, turn the livestock loose, take your pets, shut off the propane at the tank, shut off the electricity and get out," said the governor, who described the fire as burning in "some of the heaviest timber in Montana."The Missoula County Sheriff's Department issued the evacuation order.



Rain. Rain. Please Rain...

Northwest Montana Wildfires


Well another day of Fire Season.

Star Meadows, I heard was evacuated as with Good Creek. I really wish those folks well. Keep them in your Prayers ~ All who read this. Those people may lose their homes. We are all Praying for you. There is no real signs of the fires letting up. I did get fresh are today here in Eureka Montana, it was a welcome sight. I can, However see huge plumes of smoke from the Fire above and around Star Meadows. I will show you those pictures later. For now CNN has a few good videos at http://search.cnn.com/search.jsp?query=montana%20wildfire&type=video&sortBy=date&intl=false

And Don't forget the link for Fire Updates at

I am not sure how often they update, sometimes it seems
by the hour and than it changes, my true feeling is
that they don't want most of us
to know how bad it really is. From where I am,
I do not see how any Person
or animal could possibly breath up there.

It seems as though Fires are everywhere. I read where 200 cows
were killed by fire around Sidney Montana.


MONTANA FIRE NEWS

Red-Flag Conditions Threaten to Stir Up Montana Wildfires
http://www.newwest.net/index.php/topic/article/
red_flag_conditions_threaten_to_whip_up_montana_wildfires/C38/L38/

The Mile Marker 124 Fire east of Missoula. Courtesy of Jamie Kirby of the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation.
UPDATED 7:30 p.m. Montana fires whipped up under red-flag conditions Friday night as a cold front moved across the state, dropping humidity and increasing winds.
Big plumes of smoke were visible on both sides of the continental divide. To the east, the Skyland Fire near Glacier grew, as did the Ahorn fire west of Augusta. To West, the Sawmill Complex east of Missoula flared up, sending a plume of smoke visible from Missoula.
The Skyland Fire, burning near Glacier to the south-southeast between Badger Creek and Two Medicine Creek, grew again Friday as winds blew it away from Highway 2 and to the southeast of Dog Gun Lake. Crews were pulled off for safety reasons and structures in the area have been prepared, but none have been reported lost, according to reports from fire camp.
The Blackfeet Emergency Operations Center issued a mandatory evacuation Friday afternoon along Heart Butte Cutoff Road (BIA Route 2) from US Hwy 2 to BIA Route 1, not including East Glacier or Heart Butte. The Heart Butte Cutoff Road is closed south of Two Medicine Creek. Any questions regarding the evacuation should be directed to the Tribe’s EOC at (406) 338-4099.
Fire officials reported winds on the fire on average of 25 mph and gusting to 31 mph. A Red-flag warning is in effect until midnight.
The most easterly reach of the fire is just past Dog Gun Lake on the Blackfeet Reservation, and to Mule Ridge to the west near Skyland Road. It is 16 miles long and averages 1-2 miles wide. Badger Cabin, a USFS cabin in a Badger Creek tributary south of the fire, has been wrapped with a fire resistant foil. The fire was was still estimated at 19,800 acres Friday at nightfall. Highway 2, which was closed earlier this week, is still open to traffic going both ways.
Ahorn Fire, West of Augusta
The Ahorn Fire, Montana’s largest blaze of the season so far, burning the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Lewis and Clark National Forest 30 miles west of Augusta acted up as well Friday under the same conditions, growing mostly to the east toward Gibson reservoir. Some torching was spotted in the area near the Fish Wildlife and Parks cabin near the reservoir, but with the heavy smoke there’s no way to tell just how far east the blaze has spread, said fire information officer John Daugherty.
The latest acreage estimate was 41,260 acres, but Daugherty said that estimate would likely be bigger in the morning. While the fire grew mostly to the east, it did spread a little on all sides.
Firefighters were worried Thursday that the fire will move into the Goat Creek area south of Gibson, where the terrain “happens to be lined up perfectly for those winds to blow it right into those structures,” fire information officer Bob MacGregor said Thursday.
Crews have been working on structure protection in that area on the one Fish, Wildlife and Parks cabin and several structures, mostly watering and clearing fuel. The areas around the structures are “pretty green” MacGregor said and operations specialists are “quite confident they would survive
To the South of of the fire, there are a number of structures, including about 65 summer lease cabins in the Benchmark area. There, structure protection crews continue to run hose lines and sprinkler systems into the cabins to protect them should the fire move south. The area from the Benchmark Trailhead to the Wood Lake Campground was evacuated last weekend. Evacuations have been ordered in the Stoner area on the east side of the fire, Daugherty said.
Beaver Willow Road is to the east of the fire. To the north, the fire is nearly uncontrollable, but there is a stretch of state and private grasslands to the south of Gibson that could make it a little easier to get ahead of so crews have been scouting the area all week looking for places to dig line.
Firefighting crews will be using fire-line explosives along the crest of Sawtooth Ridge to eliminate fuels on Friday and Saturday. Crews will be starting from the Sun Canyon Road and working south, residents should not be alarmed if they hear some booms, officials say.
The rapid growth of both the Ahorn and the Fool Creek Fires prompted officials on the Lewis and Clark National Forest to close a large part of the Rocky Mountain Ranger District to the public. The closure went into effect early Thursday morning.
The closure area encompasses both wilderness and non-wilderness lands on the Rocky Mountain Ranger District and extends from Highway 2 adjacent to the Badger-Two Medicine area on the north, continuing south along the forest boundary to Observation Point; then east along Petty Crown Creek trail to the Forest boundary; then north along the forest boundary to
Highway 2, then returns west along Highway 2 to the Continental Divide. Smith Creek, Elk Creek and Dearborn trailheads remain open as well as the Smith Creek trail (#215) and the Petty Crown trail (#232). Click here for a full map of the trail and area closures.
Meriwether Fire, north of Helena
The Meriwether Fire near Wolf Creek north of Helena is still the nation’s top priority fire, burning actively within the Gates of the Mountain Wilderness.
Crews have the fire 33 percent contained. The northwest flank of the fire, near Holter Lake, was holding well and both the Beartooth road and the Beaver Creek road were reopened to residents, with all evacuations lifted. Still, on both sides of the fire those areas are not open to the public and residents have been warned to be ready at a moment’s notice to evacuate.
An active week on the fire, marked by a 10,000-acre run Wednesday, brings the fire to 32,000 acres as of Friday. Officials monitoring the blaze say, “We are dealing with fire behavior that is off the charts! We will have to re-write the text books of how fire spreads,” according to a report from camp.
Crews had been working between the northwest and northeast flanks of the fire to construct fire line, securing and mopped up the American Bar subdivision area to the southwest, and constructing dozer and hand lines along the southern perimeter.
In the wilderness there are areas that are largely inaccessible, Larsen said Thursday, and helicopters are being used there where appropriate.
A roadblock is set up at Holter Lodge and the American Red Cross has created an evacuation center at Wolf Creek School. The National Guard is now manning the roadblock.
Click here to view a map of the fire’s day-by-day progression.
Being the number one priority fire in the nation “gives us a better chance of bringing in the resources we need,” Larsen said.
Mile Marker 124 Fire, East of Missoula
East of Missoula near Clinton and just west of the Rock Creek exit on 1-90, the Mile Marker 124 Fire quieted Friday. It was so quiet in fact, that officials weren’t even going to re-map the fire Friday because there likely wasn’t any measurable growth.
The cold front “raised heck with some of the other fires, but for some reason, it didn’t hit us,” said fire information officer Don Ferguson.
Evacuation in the West Fork Cramer Creek drainage remained in effect and residents in Wallace Creek were still on a precautionary 12 to 36 hour notice of a potential evacuation.
The Mile Marker 124 Fire damaged a Verizon cell phone tower and power lines for three major utilities, but everything was back up and running as of Friday, Mcconnell said. And a Bonneville Power Administration transmission line, along I-90 that carries electricity to thousands, appears now to be out of danger, said fire information officer Laura McConnell.
Officials are looking for more information on the cause of the Mile Marker 124 Fire, ignited by multiple starts along the westbound lane of I-90, three miles east of Clinton. Investigators ruled out lightning and believe the cause may have been mechanical or vehicular malfunction. Call (406) 542-4241 if you have any information.
Sawmill Complex, East of Missoula
Meanwhile, just south of the Mile Marker 124 blaze, the Sawmill Complex threw up some smoke Friday. The Complex consists of the previously reported Wyman 2 Fire, the Fisher Point Fire, and the Sawmill Fire.
The Wyman 2 fire is the biggest at 2,200 acres at last estimate and it is threatening an at least 190 residences and seven commercial structures with numerous associated outbuildings, most of them along Rock Creek Road.
On Monday, the Granite County Sheriff’s Department recommended the evacuation of about 40 homes along a five to seven mile stretch of Rock Creek Road between the Sandstone/Wyman trailhead and Stony Creek, 20 miles West of Philipsburg.
Region-by-Region breakdown:
Also, check in often to InciWeb, where the large fires are being updated from fire camp regularly. The large fires with InciWeb pages are linked in the roundup below. Click on the name of the fire for that fire’s page.
For a look at fire weather forecasts, click here and for a national breakdown of wildland fires, click here.
Stage II fire restrictions, meaning no campfires, smoking, daytime industrial operations and motor vehicle use off designated roads and trails, are in effect across western and west-central Montana. Click here for more details.
Western Montana:
There are no new starts on the
On the Bitterroot National Forest, the Rombo Fire, grew a little from 430 acres to 555. A Type II team is taking over the management of the fire Saturday.
For more on the Bitterroot blazes go to http://63.196.254.151/WildWeb/WCMT-BRC.htm and click “recent incidents.”
Noteworthy Fires in Western Montana:
Mile Marker 124 Fire, north of Interstate 90 near Rock Creek exit, managed by the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, now totals 6,245 acres. Residents west of the blaze and north of the interstate have been asked to voluntarily evacuate and evacuations have been ordered for the West Fork Cramer Creek drainage.
The Sawmill Complex is a complex of three fires, the largest being the Wyman II Fire, in the Lolo National Forest in Welcome Creek Wilderness along Rock Creek, 22 miles southwest of Missoula. The complex was mapped at 4,900 acres Friday. Evacuations are in place along Rock Creek Road between the Sandstone/Wyman trailhead and Stony Creek. The Wyman 2 fire threatens some 190 structures. Click here for a map of the closed area near the fire.
A community meeting is scheduled for the residents of the lower Rock Creek area for 7 p.m. tonight at the Elkhorn Ranch.
The Conger Creek Fire, Lolo National Forest, 20 miles north of Ovando along Highway 200. 4,100 acres, being managed and monitored, not actively suppressed.
Northwestern Montana:
The Chippy Creek Fire The Chippy Creek Fire (formerly named “Semem Creek"), 42 miles southwest of Kalispell burned actively Thursday. By Friday morning, it was mapped at 7,000 acres—about 2,500 acres from Wednesday’s estimates although some of the growth is from better mapping. The fire started on a section of state land and quickly burned into the Chippy Creek drainage, and continues to burn east toward the Flathead Indian Reservation. The fire is almost to, or already to, the Lolo National Forest boundary with the Flathead National Forest. Crews working at the heel of the fire along the southwestern edge made significant progress Thursday shoring up dozerlines and beginning to work on the flanks of the fire. This is the area that’s closest to the structures, which are still listed as potentially threatened, but not in immediate risk. There are no evacuation orders in effect. It is still 0 percent contained.
The Garceau Fire, 10 miles from Polson on the Flathead Indian Reservation, had burned a total of 3,045 acres by Friday morning, 93 percent contained.
The Skyland Fire in the Flathead National Forest totals 19,680 acres, 20 percent contained. U.S. Highway 2 is now open.
The Brush Creek Fire, about 29 air miles west of Whitefish, MT, over 5,505 acres. A small portion of the fire has crossed onto the Kootenai National Forest and Plum Creek lands. Fire managers, in coordination with Flathead County Office of Emergency Services, completed an evacuation plan for the Star Meadows area, east of the fire. A public meeting is scheduled for Friday, August 3, at 7:00pm at the Hope Ranch fire camp.
Southwestern Montana:
Two lightning-caused fires popped up in Southwestern Montana this week. One fire, four miles northeast of Philipsburg was quickly dealt with by half a dozen firefighters and a helicopter making water drops from a large bucket. It burned just one acre and the crew was expecting finish work on it by Tuesday evening. The second fire broke out 12 miles southeast of Wisdom near Rabbia and was contained Wednesday.
The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest has a temporary closure in effect, including the area north of Lacy and McVey creeks and west of the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway all the way to the forest boundary east and south of Highway 43.
Noteworthy Fires in Southwestern Montana:
The Pattengail Creek Fire, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest 10 miles northeast of Wisdom. 3,502 acres, 25 percent contained. The fire has been active on the NW and NE perimeters with short range spotting, single and group tree torching.
The Porcupine Fire, Gallatin National Forest, 124 acres at 20 percent contained. 31 miles north of Livingston. Creeping fire activity was reported.
The Owl Fire, burning along the Wyoming-Montana border in Yellowstone National Park, was 2,810 acres, 75 percent contained. All visitor services, park entrances and roads are open. Some trails and backcountry campsites are temporarily closed.
Central Montana:
Ahorn Fire, Lewis and Clark National Forest, 35 miles West of Augusta, near Benchmark. 41,260 acres.
Fool Creek Wildland Fire Use Fire, Lewis and Clark National Forest, in Bob Marshall Wilderness. The Fool Creek acted up again Friday as a cold front passed over the area. Relative humidity was lower than expected Friday afternoon. At 2 p.m. plumes of smoke were seen around Mt. May. At 3:15 p.m., fire flared on the west side of Mt. Lockhart. The fire is still an estimated two miles from the Teton Pass ski area. Fire was also seen backing downhill near Wrong Creek and the fire was burning actively on its north flank.
Firefighters got pumps and sprinklers running at the cabins at Sabado and Wrong Creek and plan to do the same tomorrow as a precaution when the fire is expected to get active again. For the time being, this fire is being managed by a Wildland Fire Use team, meaning it is being managed for resource benefit, not actively suppressed. (Click here for more information on Wildand Fire Use teams.)
Middle Fork Fire, Lewis and Clark National Forest, Middle Fork Judith Wilderness Study Area, 20 miles southwest of Utica. 1,146 acres and 90 percent contained. This fire is also being managed as a Wildand Fire Use fire and is burning in a remote area. It was started on June 21 by a lightning strike.





Montana Wildfires
Northwest Montana Fires
Whitefish Montana Fires
Kootenai National Forest Fires
Flathead National Forest Fires.

PLEASE KEEP MONTANA IN YOUR PRAYERS
WE NEED RAIN WITHOUT LIGHTENING

Glacier Park Fires

In looking at the Glacier Park web cams it looks pretty smoky to me. Check it out at http://www.nps.gov/archive/glac/webcams/mcdcam.htm I hope the fires are over soon, it makes Northwest Montana a very different Summer experience.

Northwest Montana Fires

Well Fire Season is Well under Way.

The last I heard the East Glacier fire was 5000 acres, the Elk Meadow fire on the Flathead National Forest is huge and effecting air quality all the way up to Eureka Montana. It also seems like there is fires in British Columbia and we expect lightning on Friday. It does not Look Good.


This Fire Season in Northwest Montana is Very Bad ~ in My Opinion Normally, fire season would just be getting under way,
but drought has put most of the state two
to three weeks ahead of schedule
and more hot, dry weather is forecast.

UP TO DATE FIRE INFORMATION AT
http://www.inciweb.org/state/27/


Northwest Montana Fire Updates Below

Along the southern edge of Glacier National Park, the No. 3 firefighting priority had spread over about 16,000 acres (6,475 hectares), or some 25 square miles (64.75 sq. kilometers), and was only 5 percent contained. A lodge was evacuated and residents of several homes had been urged to leave.

The No. 4 priority was Montana's largest wildfire, west of Augusta, which had claimed 39,220 acres (15,872 hectares), or 61 square miles (158 sq. kilometers), and was just 3 percent contained Wednesday, officials said. Authorities had ordered 27 homes evacuated and ranchers moved cattle to safer pastures.


The No. 1 priority for firefighters Wednesday in the West was a blaze in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness north of Helena that had blackened more than 20,700 acres (8,377 hectares), or about 32 square miles (83 sq. kilometers).

Residents of 60 homes southeast of Wolf Creek were evacuated Tuesday, adding to residents of at least 60 other homes that were evacuated earlier.

The fire was moving north toward Holter Lake, a popular recreation area, and through a wildlife management area. It was about 25 percent contained, officials said.

The Boise-based fire center, the government's logistical support center for fighting wildfires nationwide, ranks large blazes according to the threat they pose to life, property and natural resources, center staffer Tim Swedberg said Wednesday.

Fire managers representing several federal agencies meet twice daily to select those fires that will have first call if additional firefighters or equipment are needed, Swedberg told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

The No. 2 priority fire had covered only about 3,000 acres (1,214 hectares) in western Montana but had led to the evacuation on Tuesday of about 40 homes in the West Fork of Cramer Creek. It was only 10 percent contained Wednesday and was threatening power lines and other structures, officials said.

UP TO DATE FIRE INFORMATION AT
http://www.inciweb.org/state/27/






Other Fire Update Links



News Links

BROWNING, Mont. - A major wildland or forest fire is burning uncontained on the southern edge of Glacier National Park and has moved into the Blackfeet reservation, forcing evacuations of lodges, homes and other areas on and off the reservation. ... More of Article at
http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096415488



Montana Wildfire Videos





Montana Wildfire Videos

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