The Mission Mountains
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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.
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