Stony Mountain

Stony Mountain is a 32,796-acre Inventoried Roadless Area in the Lolo National Forest of western Montana, set in the montane Sapphire Mountains east of the Bitterroot Valley. Named landform features include Green Mountain, Eagle Point, and a series of gulches — Tekoa, Floe, Williams, Moss, Selmo, Wyman, Juno, and Palouse — that drop from the Sapphire crest. The hydrology is significant: the Hutsinpilar Creek-Rock Creek headwaters, Chelan Creek, Eagle Creek, Big Spring Creek, Camp Creek, Moose Creek, Alder Creek with its West Fork, Hutsinpilar Creek, and Lavina Creek all rise within the area, contributing flow to the Rock Creek system, a major Clark Fork tributary.

The vegetation mosaic sorts by elevation, aspect, and moisture. Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest is the most extensive type, covering more than a third of the area, with lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) holding even-aged stands across mid-elevation benches. Central Rockies Douglas-fir Forest occupies the warmer slopes, with Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) over an understory of arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata), sticky geranium (Geranium viscosissimum), and saskatoon (Amelanchier alnifolia). Intermountain Mountain Sagebrush Steppe opens on south- and west-facing pitches, with big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) over bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva). Higher ground carries Northern Rockies Subalpine Woodland and Parkland, where whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), federally listed as Threatened, persists. Rocky Mountain Subalpine Streamside Woodland follows the gulch bottoms, with mountain maple (Acer glabrum) and red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea) shading rough horsetail (Equisetum hyemale) and cow-parsnip (Heracleum maximum). Lewis' mock orange (Philadelphus lewisii) marks rocky openings.

Wildlife uses the elevational and structural variety. Westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi) and bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus), both IUCN-listed (cutthroat as Vulnerable; bull trout as Vulnerable), occupy the cold reaches of the Rock Creek headwaters along with western pearlshell mussel (Margaritifera falcata), an IUCN Near Threatened mollusk that depends on intact spawning gravels. Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) work the steep, rocky pitches around Eagle Point; moose (Alces alces) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) move between forested cover and riparian forage. American pika (Ochotona princeps) occupy talus slopes. Ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus) work the conifer-edge zones; Pacific wren (Troglodytes pacificus), Veery (Catharus fuscescens), and red-naped sapsucker (Sphyrapicus nuchalis) use the moist streamside woodland. Mountain lady's-slipper (Cypripedium montanum), an IUCN Vulnerable orchid, persists in the shaded forest floor. Portions of this area fall within the potential range of several federally listed species; see the Conservation section for details.

A visitor on the Bitterroot-Rock Creek Divide Trail can traverse the crest of the Sapphires for nearly 15 miles, crossing from lodgepole stands and subalpine grassland into Douglas-fir slopes that drop into Wyman Gulch and Hutsinpilar Creek. The Wyman Gulch trail descends through conifer cover to the streamside woodland of the gulch bottom, where the sound of water replaces the dry wind of the ridge. From Many Horse Peak, the view east across the Rock Creek headwaters takes in the country that bull trout and westslope cutthroat depend on.

The 32,796-acre Stony Mountain Inventoried Roadless Area lies in the Sapphire Mountains of Granite County, in the Missoula Ranger District of the Lolo National Forest. The Rock Creek drainage that anchors the area's eastern flank was occupied for thousands of years by the Bitterroot Salish, Pend d'Oreille, and Kootenai peoples, who traveled across the Sapphire and Bitterroot ranges between western valleys and the buffalo plains east of the Continental Divide [1]. According to Salish tradition, the people "originally lived as one large nation thousands of years ago," and archaeological evidence has documented "continuous occupancy within some sites as far back as 12,600 years ago" [1]. By the 1700s, the Bitterroot Salish were practicing a seasonal round, "traveling across the continental divide once or twice each year to hunt buffalo" [1].

Federal-era displacement of these claims came in the 1855 Hellgate Treaty, negotiated at a council near present-day Missoula by Isaac Stevens, Governor of Washington Territory; the treaty provided for the Flathead Indian Reservation in the lower Flathead River Valley [1]. The Bitterroot Salish refused to leave their valley. After decades of pressure — including a forged signature on the 1872 Garfield agreement and the collapse of bison herds — Chief Charlo signed General Henry B. Carrington's agreement on November 3, 1889, and the Salish left the Bitterroot on October 15, 1891 on what elders remembered as "a funeral march" [1]. The Stony Mountain country, on the east side of the Sapphires above Rock Creek, sat at the edge of these displaced tribal homelands.

Settlement of the Rock Creek and Flint Creek country followed the mineral economy. Silver was discovered south of present-day Philipsburg in 1864, and within three years the town was reported to be "growing at the rate of one house per day" [2]. A revival of mining "from the mid-1880s to mid-1890s led to Philipsburg's greatest growth, when tens of millions of dollars worth of silver bullion, ore, and slag were shipped to out-of-state markets" [2]. Silver mining "was curtailed in 1893" with the collapse of silver prices, but "recently discovered sapphire deposits helped stabilize the local economy"; that same year Granite County was created, with Philipsburg as county seat [2]. During World War I, "Philipsburg was the largest supplier of domestic manganese, which led to another boom for the area" [2]. After that boom the town settled into "a stable existence based on agriculture, government, logging, limited mining, and tourism" [2].

The federal government extended forest management over the surrounding mountain country in the early twentieth century. The Lolo National Forest was established in 1906, with administrative records of the forest beginning in that year [3]. The Stony Mountain area lies within the modern Lolo National Forest, in the Missoula Ranger District. It is protected under the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Vital Resources Protected

• Cold-Water Stream Integrity for Bull Trout: The Hutsinpilar Creek-Rock Creek headwaters, Big Spring Creek, Eagle Creek, Moose Creek, Alder Creek and its West Fork, Camp Creek, Chelan Creek, and Lavina Creek all rise within the area and contribute to Rock Creek, designated bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) critical habitat. The roadless condition preserves the low-sediment, cold-water spawning conditions that the federally Threatened bull trout and the native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi) require, along with the substrate that the western pearlshell mussel (Margaritifera falcata) depends on.

• Interior Forest and Whitebark Pine Habitat: Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest covers more than a third of the area, with Central Rockies Douglas-fir Forest and Northern Rockies Subalpine Woodland and Parkland filling out the conifer mosaic. The high-elevation parkland holds federally Threatened whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), already pressed by white pine blister rust and mountain pine beetle. The roadless condition keeps these stands as continuous interior habitat and limits the vectors that accelerate blister rust spread.

• Connected Big-Game and Lynx Habitat: Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), moose (Alces alces), and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) use the area's elevational and structural variety. The unfragmented forest also provides movement habitat for the federally Threatened Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis), both of which avoid road corridors and depend on continuous cover for foraging and dispersal.

Potential Effects of Road Construction

• Sedimentation of Bull Trout Critical Habitat: Cut slopes and unpaved surfaces in the steep Sapphire gulches would deliver chronic fine sediment to the Hutsinpilar, Big Spring, Eagle, Moose, and Alder Creek channels and on into Rock Creek. NatureServe identifies soil erosion and sedimentation specifically as drivers of bull trout decline, and the Central Rockies Douglas-fir Forest and Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest assessments document that road, logging, and mining disturbance "can cause significant soil loss/erosion and negatively impact the water quality within the immediate watershed." Embedded spawning gravels are slow to recover and limit bull trout reproduction for decades.

• Forest Fragmentation, Lynx and Grizzly Avoidance: Road corridors create the linear features that Canada lynx and grizzly bear avoid, splitting continuous forest into smaller patches and altering big-game movement patterns. NatureServe documents "roads & railroads" as direct stressors for Canada lynx and other ESA-listed species in the area. Once a road network is in place, the behavioral avoidance and increased mortality risk it creates are difficult to reverse without full road closure and revegetation.

• Whitebark Pine Decline via Access Corridors: Road construction into the high subalpine woodland and parkland would create vectors for the spread of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola) and would alter the fire and mountain pine beetle dynamics that NatureServe identifies as already-altered drivers of whitebark pine mortality. The Subalpine Woodland and Parkland system is identified as already stressed by "exotic species, direct soil surface disturbance, timber management, livestock practices, and fragmentation."

The 32,796-acre Stony Mountain Inventoried Roadless Area, in the Sapphire Mountains of the Lolo National Forest, is a mixed-use backcountry where ten documented trails serve as the framework for recreation. The country is mountainous and montane, with the long ridge of the Sapphires crowning the area and Rock Creek headwaters draining the eastern slopes. Trailheads at Hogback and at the Sandstone-Wyman provide access from the boundary; campgrounds at Bitterroot Flat, Siria, and Bighorn sit along the Rock Creek corridor outside the area.

Trails. The Bitterroot-Rock Creek Divide Trail (313) is the area's centerpiece — 14.8 miles of native-surface tread along the Sapphire crest, open to hiker, horse, and bike use. The Hogback Ridge Trail (268), 11.1 miles, runs north-south as a horse-use route. The Wyman Gulch Trail (226), 7.0 miles, and the Big Spring Creek Trail (1269), 6.6 miles, are horse-use trails dropping into the namesake drainages. Mixed-use multi-use loops include Bitterroot Big Springs (147, 2.7 miles), Cutoff Gulch (146, 3.3 miles), Dome Shaped Mountain (8008, 5.7 miles), and Many Horse Peak (24, 1.4 miles) — all open to hiker, horse, and bike. The Wyman-Williams Ridge Trail (230), 5.4 miles, and the Hutsinpilar Ridge Trail (215), 5.2 miles, are horse-only.

Hunting. The conifer-grassland mosaic supports a strong big-game community. Bighorn sheep use the steep pitches around Eagle Point and the Sapphire crest; moose and mule deer move between Douglas-fir cover and riparian forage in the gulches; ruffed grouse work the conifer edges. Hunters use the long ridge trails to reach country that would otherwise require multi-day pack trips. All hunting is under Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks regulations; check the relevant hunting district maps and seasons.

Fishing. The Rock Creek system that the area's drainages feed is one of the premier trout fisheries in the Lolo National Forest. Native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi) and federally Threatened bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) occupy cold-water headwater habitat in Hutsinpilar, Big Spring, Eagle, Moose, and Alder Creeks. Rainbow trout, brown trout, and mountain whitefish are also present in the system. Bull trout are catch-and-release statewide; anglers must consult Montana FWP regulations for current species, seasons, and gear restrictions.

Birding and Wildlife Watching. Three eBird hotspots fall within 24 km of the area, the most active at Middle Burnt Fork Road with 125 species across 85 checklists. Within the area, conifer-interior species — Pacific wren, golden-crowned kinglet, Veery, and red-naped sapsucker — use the dense lodgepole and Douglas-fir; western screech-owl uses the streamside woodland; great horned owl, red-tailed hawk, and bald eagle work the open ridges and the Rock Creek corridor.

Photography and Backcountry Travel. The long, traverse-able Sapphire crest and the steep, conifer-walled drainages give photographers strong landscape variety in a compact area. Wildflower displays of arrowleaf balsamroot and bitterroot peak on the sagebrush benches; mountain lady's-slipper (a Vulnerable orchid) appears in shaded forest floor; the high-ridge whitebark pine country is photographically distinctive.

Recreation in Stony Mountain depends in a direct way on the roadless condition. The absence of an interior road network is what makes Rock Creek's headwater bull trout and westslope cutthroat fisheries the small, cold streams they are; what keeps big-game distributions across the Sapphires connected rather than divided; and what allows the long ridge traverses on the Bitterroot-Rock Creek Divide and Hogback Ridge to function as backcountry rather than shortcuts between road segments.