Wildlife
Few humans visit the huge trailless portions of this Wilderness, which makes it appealing for a variety of wildlife. The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is home to nearly 270 mammal and avian species identified to date. Forage created in the aftermath of old wildfires sustains large wintering populations of elk and deer found on the Idaho side of the Bitterroots. Common in both Idaho and Montana, moose are particularly abundant in the rolling uplands and wet meadows of the Elk Summit country. In addition, mountain lions and black bears are well-dispersed throughout the area; grizzlies, however, have been notably absent since the 1940s. Bighorn sheep and mountain goat frequent the higher alpine regions, while a variety of smaller mammals and rodents including the porcupine, muskrat, beaver, yellow-bellied marmot, snowshoe hare, the red squirrel, northern flying squirrel, and yellow pine chipmunk, and among others, call the area home.