Bob Marshall Wilderness

Tom Turiano, Silvertip Mountain

Montana’s Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex contains over 1.5 million acres of rugged ridges, craggy peaks, lush alpine meadows, thick forests, and wild untamed rivers. Robust populations of grizzly, moose, elk, black bear, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, wolverine, mountain lion, lynx, wolf, and eagle make this primeval landscape home. The three contiguous wilderness areas (the Bob Marshall Wilderness, the Great Bear Wilderness, and the Scapegoat Wilderness) are surrounded by an additional one million acres of roadless land.

 Fryxell and Forrest, White River Pass
photo by Tom Turiano

The wilderness is named after Bob Marshall (1901–1939) who was an early forester, conservationist, and co-founder of The Wilderness Society. Marshall is credited with single-handedly adding 5.4 million acres to the National Wilderness Preservation System. Marshall ‘s advocacy was rooted in his first hand wilderness experience.  By the time he was 36 (two years before his death) Marshall had logged more than 200 wilderness hikes of 30 miles in a day, 51 hikes of more than 40 miles and several of up to 70 miles.

The Bob Marshall Wilderness extends for 60 miles along the Continental Divide that separates the Flathead and Sun River drainages. Starting on July 3, 2012 at the Benchmark Trailhead Tom Turiano, my six-month old border collie, and I spent five days connecting the two drainages in a grand 120-mile packrafting loop. White River Pass and a long hike over Silvertip Mountain allowed us to connect descents of the North Fork of the Sun River, the White River, the South Fork of the Flathead, and the North Fork of Flathead.

 Forrest and Fryxell, White River

photo by Tom Turiano

Chance encounter with Dan and Tara Durston, South Fork of the Flathead River

photo by Tom Turiano

Fryxell and his Ruffwear Bivy Bowl, Silvertip Mountain

Forrest McCarthy, Bob Marshall Wilderness

photo by Tom Turiano

Tom Turiano, Silvertip Mountain

Tom Turiano, North Fork of the Sun River

Fryxell, North Fork of the Sun River

Living the good life, North Fork of the Sun River

The sun sets over the Lewis and Clark Range

photo by Tom Turiano

Our route, Bob Marshall Wilderness

Previous Packrafting Trips in "The Bob"

On May 14, 2010 Moe Witschard and I flew into Schafer Meadows Landing Strip on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River. Equipped with packrafts, Moe and I hiked 20 miles further up the River to the confluence of Strawberry and Gateway Creeks. 

We then spent 3 days descending the 48 miles to Highway 12. When we began our trip the gauge for the Middle Fork reported 2,700cfs. Three days later, when we finished, the Middle Fork was running over 9,000! We portaged around Spruce Park.

The South Fork of the Flathead River is one of the three main forks of the Flathead River and begins at the confluence of Danaher Creek and Youngs Creek. For nearly 40 miles the river flows freely north-northwest, meandering through a forested and undeveloped roadless valley that forms the core of the 1.5 million acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex.

During Independence Day weekend, 2010, Tom Turiano, Nancy Bockino, Amy McCarthy and I hiked in 15 miles from the Benchmark Trailhead to the confluence of Danahar and Basin Creeks. Over the next three days we floated some 50 miles to the Spotted Bear River. We portaged approximately 3 miles of Meadow Creek Gorge.

video by Moe Witschard

In 2011 Moe Witschard, Michael Fiebig and I completed a 2-day packrafting trip on the South and North Forks of the Sun River. The first day, we ran 12 miles of the South Fork of the Sun River from Benchmark Trailhead to the Gibson Reservoir, portaging a final Class 5 drop. We then hiked 10 miles up the North Fork and camped. The second day, we floated 10 miles of the North Fork, portaging portions of the final Class4/5 canyon. We then hiked 14 miles back to our starting point at Benchmark Trailhead.

“I frankly acknowledged that the justification for exploration in modern times must be found primarily in what it contributes to personal happiness of the explorer rather than in what it may add to the well-being of the human race.” – Bob Marshall