North Big Hole

The North Big Hole Inventoried Roadless Area covers 52,227 acres along the south flank of the Anaconda Range in the Wisdom Ranger District of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest, straddling Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, and Ravalli counties. The terrain is mountainous and montane: the Anaconda Range and the Continental Divide form the northern and western frame, with Mudd Creek Ridge, Bender Point, and Schultz Saddle stepping down to the Big Hole Valley. York Gulch and Clam Valley cut down through the slopes. The area sits at the headwaters of Howell Creek (HUC12 100200040602) and gives rise to a dense network of cold streams — La Marche Creek and its three forks, Mussigbrod Creek, Hell Roaring Creek, Schultz Creek, Bender Creek, Calvert Creek, Roberts Creek, McCormick Creek, and Johnson Creek — that drain south to the Big Hole River. Mussigbrod Lake, Lower Seymour Lake, Mudd Lake, and Violet Lake fill high basins, and Pintler Falls marks a distinctive feature on the southern slope of the range.

Vegetation reflects the meeting of the Northern Rockies subalpine zone with the broad sagebrush-steppe basin of the Big Hole Valley. Central Rockies Douglas-fir Forest (Pseudotsuga menziesii) and Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest (Pinus contorta) cover the middle elevations, transitioning upslope into Rocky Mountain Wet Subalpine Spruce-Fir Forest with Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii), subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), and at the highest elevations whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) and subalpine larch (Larix lyallii). White-flowered rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum), a Pacific maritime indicator, joins twinflower (Linnaea borealis) in the wet subalpine understory. Lemhi beardtongue (Penstemon lemhiensis), a regional rare plant, occurs in the sagebrush-meadow ecotone. Below the conifer zone, Intermountain Mountain Sagebrush Steppe supports arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata) and Oregon bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva).

Wildlife spans the elevational range. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) work the open sagebrush; mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), wapiti (Cervus canadensis), and moose (Alces alces) move between timber and parks. Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) hold the high cliffs of the Anaconda Range; American pika (Ochotona princeps) occupies the talus. The sagebrush bottoms support greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, IUCN near-threatened). The forest canopy holds black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), and great gray owl (Strix nebulosa). Pacific marten (Martes caurina) hunts the dense conifer. Cold streams support native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi) and Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus); the Rocky Mountain tailed frog (Ascaphus montanus) occupies the cold, fast tributaries. Portions of this area fall within the potential range of several federally listed species; see the Conservation section for details.

Moving through the North Big Hole country is an exercise in alternating sagebrush openness and dense conifer. A walker climbing from the sagebrush flats below Bender Point breaks into Douglas-fir forest, then into the subalpine parkland approaching the Continental Divide. From Schultz Saddle or the crest above Pintler Falls, the view drops south across the broad Big Hole Valley and the historic battlefield to the Pioneer Mountains beyond.

The lands of the North Big Hole Roadless Area lie within country long used by Indigenous peoples. For countless generations, the Shoshone Nation spent the warm months in the Big Hole Valley in search of camas root and other plants, wintering on the west slope of the Beaverhead Mountains in today's Lemhi Valley of Idaho [3]. Native Americans called the valley the "land of big snows" [3]. The most defining historic event in the country immediately south of the roadless area unfolded in August 1877. Over 800 nımí·pu· (Nez Perce) and more than 2,000 horses had traveled peacefully through the Bitterroot Valley after crossing Lolo Pass into Montana [1]; on August 7 they camped at ?ıckumcılé.lıkpe — known today as Big Hole National Battlefield — unaware that the U.S. Army was close behind [1]. At dawn on August 9, Colonel John Gibbon's command launched a surprise attack on the sleeping encampment [1]. Between 60 and 90 nımí·pu· men, women, and children were killed; 31 soldiers and civilian volunteers were killed and 38 wounded [1]. After the battle the nımí·pu· fled south, crossing back into Idaho over Bannock Pass [1]. The battlefield is administered today from Wisdom, the closest town to the North Big Hole Roadless Area [1].

Euro-American settlement of the Big Hole Valley followed the 1862 gold strike at Grasshopper Creek and the establishment of Bannack as Montana's first Territorial Capital. A.J. and Hattie Noyes are credited as the first homesteaders in the valley, arriving at The Crossings — today's Wisdom — in May 1882 [3]. Ranching expanded rapidly as miners at Bannack and other camps generated demand for beef. In 1909 two Big Hole ranchers, Herbert S. Armitage and David J. Stephens, invented the "beaverslide" hay stacker — a wooden pole-and-plank apparatus that lifts loose hay to a height of about thirty feet, forming a wind-proof stack [3][4]. The valley earned the nickname "land of 10,000 haystacks" [4].

Federal protection of the surrounding forest lands came in 1908, when President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation creating both the Beaverhead National Forest and the Deerlodge National Forest [2]. The Deerlodge unit was originally named the Big Hole Forest Reserve, and Roosevelt pushed for its protection because the Anaconda Copper Mining Company had clear-cut the upper Big Hole River watershed to feed the Anaconda smelter [2]. In 1996 the two forests were administratively merged into the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest [2]. The 52,227-acre North Big Hole Inventoried Roadless Area, straddling Beaverhead, Deer Lodge, and Ravalli counties, is administered by the Wisdom Ranger District within USFS Region One and is protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Vital Resources Protected

• Upper Big Hole Arctic Grayling Headwater Streams: The North Big Hole Roadless Area sits along the southern flank of the Anaconda Range and supplies a dense network of cold tributaries — La Marche Creek and its three forks, Mussigbrod Creek, Hell Roaring Creek, Schultz Creek, and Johnson Creek — to the upper Big Hole River. The upper Big Hole holds the last fluvial population of Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus) in the lower 48 states, and native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi) occupy several of the area's tributaries. Both species require cold water, clean gravel substrate, and intact riparian buffers; the roadless condition preserves all three in the contributing headwaters.

• Sagebrush-Steppe and Greater Sage-Grouse Habitat: The Intermountain Mountain Sagebrush Steppe and Great Basin Big Sagebrush Steppe communities at the foot of the Anaconda Range provide breeding and brood-rearing habitat for the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, IUCN near-threatened), as well as pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). Sagebrush obligate species have declined across the Intermountain West with the conversion of sagebrush to agriculture and the spread of cheatgrass-driven wildfire; the unfragmented sagebrush mosaic at the area's edge retains the cover-and-forb structure these species require. Lemhi beardtongue (Penstemon lemhiensis), a regionally rare plant, also occurs in this ecotone.

• Wide-Ranging Carnivore Connectivity to Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness: The 52,227-acre block of unfragmented forest, parkland, and sagebrush provides secure interior habitat for Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), North American wolverine (Gulo gulo luscus), and grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), all federally threatened species. The area shares a boundary with the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the north, forming a contiguous block that supports the seasonal movements of wide-ranging carnivores and the prey populations they depend on. Pacific marten (Martes caurina) and great gray owl (Strix nebulosa) also occupy the dense conifer interior.

Potential Effects of Road Construction

• Sedimentation into Native Arctic Grayling and Cutthroat Habitat: Road construction across the steep slopes of the Anaconda Range foothills would generate chronic erosion of cut-and-fill faces, with sediment mobilized into La Marche Creek, Mussigbrod Creek, and the other Big Hole tributaries. Excess sediment fills the gravel substrate that Arctic grayling and westslope cutthroat trout require for spawning and egg incubation; culverts at stream crossings frequently become physical barriers that fragment fish populations. For the last fluvial Arctic grayling population in the lower 48 states, even modest additional sediment loading is consequential.

• Sage-Grouse Habitat Loss and Cheatgrass Invasion: Road construction across the sagebrush flats at the area's edge would directly remove leks and nesting habitat, and cumulative road density would reduce the effective lek attendance of greater sage-grouse, which avoid tall vertical structures and elevated vehicle traffic within several kilometers of breeding sites. Road corridors also accelerate the spread of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) and other invasive annual grasses that fundamentally alter sagebrush fire cycles, converting sagebrush to annual-grass monocultures that no longer support sage-grouse.

• Carnivore Displacement and Anaconda-Pintler Connectivity Loss: New road corridors increase human access and reduce the effective size of secure habitat for grizzly bear, Canada lynx, and wolverine, all of which avoid areas of elevated road density. Fragmentation of the North Big Hole block would weaken the connectivity link with the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness directly to the north. Road-related human-bear conflict rises along road corridors, and behavioral avoidance of the surrounding habitat persists for decades even after a road is closed.

The North Big Hole Inventoried Roadless Area covers 52,227 acres along the south flank of the Anaconda Range, in the Wisdom Ranger District of Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The area abuts the Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness to the north, carries a segment of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, and supports hiking, horseback travel, hunting, fishing, and winter snowmobile travel.

Trails and Backcountry Travel. The trail system is anchored by a segment of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail #9 (7.3 miles within the area), which traces the spine of the Anaconda Range. Long drainage and ridge trails branch off the divide: West Fork LaMarche #2126 (10.1 mi), Thompson Creek #3007 (8.5 mi), West Fork Mudd Creek #2177 (7.2 mi), Plimpton Creek #3371 (6.9 mi), West Fork Fishtrap #2130 (6.5 mi), Mudd Lake #2377 (6.4 mi), Mystic Lake #3369 (6.1 mi), Mudd Ridge #2742 (5.7 mi), McCart-Johnson Peak #435 (5.9 mi), and Mussigbrod Lake #3372 (5.2 mi). Trails are open to hikers, horse parties, and mountain bikers. The Placer Creek/Schultz Saddle Snow Route #SNO-3137 (18.2 miles) supports winter snowmobile use. Designated trailheads include Mussigbrod, Seymour East-of-Road, Pintler East-of-Road, East Fork Thompson Creek (Mystic Lake), Middle Fork, and West Fork Fishtrap Trailheads.

Camping. Developed campgrounds at Pintler, Mussigbrod, and Seymour Creek operate at the area perimeter, providing access for backcountry trips. Within the roadless area itself, overnight use is dispersed.

Fishing. Cold tributaries of Howell Creek and the Big Hole River system support native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi) and Arctic grayling (Thymallus arcticus); the upper Big Hole River below the area holds the last fluvial Arctic grayling population in the lower 48 states. Mussigbrod Lake, Lower Seymour Lake, Mystic Lake, Mudd Lake, and Violet Lake provide stillwater fishing accessible by trail. The area's drainages also support mountain whitefish (Prosopium williamsoni), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), brown trout (Salmo trutta), brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis), and the unusual burbot (Lota lota), a freshwater cod. Anglers must follow Montana FWP regulations for westslope cutthroat and Arctic grayling occupied waters.

Hunting. The Big Hole / Anaconda Range country is managed by Montana FWP for big-game and upland-bird hunting. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) work the open sagebrush; mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), wapiti (Cervus canadensis), and moose (Alces alces) move across the elevation gradient; Rocky Mountain goat (Oreamnos americanus) and bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) hold the high cliffs. Upland bird hunting targets spruce grouse (Canachites canadensis), wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), and chukar (Alectoris chukar); greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) hunting follows MFWP's restricted-season framework. Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis), and wolverine (Gulo gulo) are federally protected. Hunters must follow Montana FWP season dates, license requirements, and limited-entry permit rules for mountain goat, bighorn sheep, and sage-grouse.

Birding and Wildlife Viewing. Within the roadless area, the sagebrush bottoms support sandhill crane (Antigone canadensis), greater yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca), western meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), and yellow-headed blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). The forest canopy holds great gray owl (Strix nebulosa), black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus), pileated woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), and Clark's nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana). Pacific marten (Martes caurina) and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) work the dense conifer; American dipper (Cinclus mexicanus) hunts the cold streams.

Photography and Backcountry Character. Pintler Falls, the cirque holding Mussigbrod Lake, and the long ridgelines along the Continental Divide open views across the Anaconda-Pintler country and south to the broad Big Hole Valley below. The Big Hole Battlefield lies just south of the area, providing historical-photography context.

Why Roadlessness Matters Here. Recreation in North Big Hole depends on conditions that road construction would change. The Continental Divide National Scenic Trail and the long ridge-and-drainage trail network reach across the range only because there are no parallel road corridors. The Arctic grayling and westslope cutthroat fisheries downstream depend on undisturbed cold tributaries. The Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness connectivity and the lynx, wolverine, and grizzly habitat depend on the unfragmented forest block the roadless boundary preserves.