Description/Basic Information
The Bob Marshall Wilderness was named after the forester, wilderness preservation pioneer, and Wilderness Society co-founder, (yep, you guessed it) Bob Marshall. The region was set aside as the South Fork, Pentagon, and Sun River Primitive Areas between the years of 1931-1934 before Congress designated it as wilderness in 1964. In 1978, additional lands were designated, bringing the total to 1,009,356 acres.
GEOGRAPHY: Located in Northwestern Montana on both sides of the Continental Divide, the Bob Marshall Wilderness is part of a larger wilderness complex that also includes the Great Bear and Scapegoat Wildernesses. Known together as the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, this area is comprised of more than 1.5 million acres, making it the third largest in the lower 48 states. The area consists of rugged ridge tops, gently sloping alpine meadows, thickly forested river bottoms and open grass meadows. Across this continuous landscape over 1,700 miles of trail provide challenges and experiences to satisfy visitors with a wide range of skills.
The Continental Divide separates the Flathead and Sun River drainages with elevations ranging from 4,000 feet to more than 9,000 feet, the highest being Rocky Mountain on the Eastern Front at 9,392 feet. Holland Peak, part of the Swan Front on the western edge of the wilderness, rises to 9,356 feet, and in the southern portion of the complex, Scapegoat Mountain towers above the wild country at 9,204 feet. A huge escarpment called the Chinese Wall, a part of the Divide, highlights the Bob's vast untrammeled beauty, with an average height of more than 1,000 feet and a length of 22 miles. The Chinese Wall extends into the Scapegoat Wilderness, which lies to the south, while the Great Bear Wilderness shares the border to the north.
GEOGRAPHY: Located in Northwestern Montana on both sides of the Continental Divide, the Bob Marshall Wilderness is part of a larger wilderness complex that also includes the Great Bear and Scapegoat Wildernesses. Known together as the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, this area is comprised of more than 1.5 million acres, making it the third largest in the lower 48 states. The area consists of rugged ridge tops, gently sloping alpine meadows, thickly forested river bottoms and open grass meadows. Across this continuous landscape over 1,700 miles of trail provide challenges and experiences to satisfy visitors with a wide range of skills.
The Continental Divide separates the Flathead and Sun River drainages with elevations ranging from 4,000 feet to more than 9,000 feet, the highest being Rocky Mountain on the Eastern Front at 9,392 feet. Holland Peak, part of the Swan Front on the western edge of the wilderness, rises to 9,356 feet, and in the southern portion of the complex, Scapegoat Mountain towers above the wild country at 9,204 feet. A huge escarpment called the Chinese Wall, a part of the Divide, highlights the Bob's vast untrammeled beauty, with an average height of more than 1,000 feet and a length of 22 miles. The Chinese Wall extends into the Scapegoat Wilderness, which lies to the south, while the Great Bear Wilderness shares the border to the north.