Fishing & Hiking the Mission Mountains.gif)
Enjoy Hiking? Then write about it! Visit our special
section on How
to Start an Internet Home Business that is built on your
knowledge and interests in the outdoors.
 The
Mission Mountains are located in the Northwest part of Montana,
south and east of Flathead Lake, more or less mid-way between
Kalispell and Missoula. The Mission Mountains are hard to
miss when seen from the west in the lower Flathead Valley
- the mountains have a vertical rise of over 6000 feet from
the valley floor below with no foothills. The mountains themselves
run for over 40 miles north to south, have numerous alpine
lakes, several glaciers and many year round snow fields.
The Mission Mountains
are unique among American wilderness areas in that two
different
wilderness areas protect much of the Mission Mountains. On
the eastern side of the Mission Mountains, which includes
the Swan Valley, the federally designated Mission Mountains
Wilderness
Area protects more than 70,000 acres of stunning mountain
countryside. On the western side of the Mission Mountains,
which faces the lower Flathead Valley, much of the land
lies
within the Flathead Indian Reservation. To protect this area
from development, the tribe created a tribal wilderness
that
protects more than 89,000 acres of pristine mountain scenery.
Due to this "dual ownership" of the Mission Mountains,
it is necessary for hikers to be aware of where they are
starting.
Accessing the Mission Mountains from the Flathead Indian
Reservation requires a permit. In addition, parts of the
tribal wilderness
are closed to all uses during certain times of the year to
protect critical grizzly bear habitat.
 The
Mission Mountains, despite their size, have only limited on-trail
hiking opportunities. Unlike many other wilderness areas of
similar size, only 45 miles of hiking trails are found in
the Mission Mountains Wilderness Area, with a scattering of
other trails on the tribal wilderness section and in the adjacent
national forest lands. This, combined with the areas close
proximity to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area and Glacier
National Park, helps keep use down in the Mission Mountains.
Numerous high alpine
lakes are scattered about throughout the Mission Mountains,
most of which lie either in the tribal or federally designated
sections. Many of these lakes have good fishing for cutthroat
trout. However, these lakes have recently begun to see a lot
more use. To protect the fragile habitat around many of the
lakes, camping is prohibited around several of the popular
lakes, including Turquoise Lake and Glacier Lake.
 Overnight
camping is not as popular in the Mission Mountains as is found
elsewhere. This is due to both the camping restrictions on
several of the more popular lakes as well as because long,
loop backpacks using trails is not possible since the trails
in the Mission Mountains do not inter-connect with one another.
Additionally, the Mission Mountains rise very steeply and
are very rocky, limiting the amount of campsites available.
Wildlife is very
abundant in the Mission Mountains, including Grizzly Bears.
As such, it is necessary to take the normal precautions when
visiting this area, such as not cooking where you will be
camping, making noise on the trail if possible and storing
all food well away from campsites. See our special section
about Hiking
in Grizzly Bear Country for more information about bears
and hiking.
 Need
a backpack for your trip into the Mission Mountains? See
Our Backpack Buyers Guide for More Information
Top
of Page
|
