Lochsa Historical Ranger Station

The ranger's station has always been closed when we've crossed over the Lolo Pass so I was happy to see the open sign this time. When the station was built in 1925 a trail provided the only access to it. It was in operation until the late 1950s and was a hub for backcountry fire lookouts and smoke chaser cabins that were connected by a system of pack trails and telephone lines. 

The station has three building to tour - the alternate ranger's house which serves as a small museum and visitor center, the ranger's house which is furnished with period pieces, and the combination building which was originally four separate buildings. The combination building was used as the ranger's office, kitchen and dining room for the forest workers, and a tool room.

A paved trail loops through the woods and passes by several relocated cabins. Wild plum trees grow along the lower portion of the trail. The plums are about the size of cherries and delicious. 

The site is not totally accessible. A paved trail goes to all of the main buildings but there are some hills where wheelchair users may need assistance and some of the buildings have high thresholds or steps. The trail through the woods has steep sections and comes out in the lower parking lot.

There is one short accessible space (we just fit with our 25' RV) by the restroom. Do not drive past the restroom. Walk/roll up the road from the restroom to the visitor center. Larger vehicles must park in the lower lot which means an even longer trek up the hill. Ranger Station    46.33867, -115.32801

Pink House Recreation Site

The pink house, a landmark that stood near the current boat ramp, is long gone but the name stuck.  The name is not the only unusual thing about this BLM site. It's less than two miles from a town and has a full hookup campground - very different from many of the BLM sites in the desert.  

The campground was recently renovated and it's very nice although a little noisy due to its close proximity to US 12. Amenities include tables, grills, fire rings, restrooms, a boat ramp, and easy access to the water. We camped in the pull through site near the three tent sites because it's farthest away from the road and more private. That won't be the case if the tent sites are occupied. They are close each other and close to the pull through site. 

Two of the sites are designated as accessible. They have paving under the tables and around the fire rings. All of the sites have paved parking pads, tables with extended tops, and high fire rings so they all are usable.    Park    46.50292, -116.34876

Evergreen Campground

We were hoping for some shade on a hot summer day but all the tree covered sites were taken so we ended up in site 7 with only a few bushes which didn't help at all. Fortunately it cooled off nicely in the evening.  

Site 7 appears to be a double site but it's not marked as such on the post, at the fee station, or on the national forest website so we paid the single fee. It has a wide paved parking pad and hard packed gravel around the high fire ring and two tables with extended tops.  Of the seventeen sites, eight are designated as accessible which is very unusual. Five can be reserved. 

Amenities include vault toilets and fresh water from a pump. No trash cans or cell service. The campground is right off of  US 95 which has a lot of truck traffic that continues into the evening and starts again in early morning. The Weiser River Rail Trail can be accessed from the campground. It's a rough gravel trail so we did not try it. Campground  44.89224, -116.38885

 

White Bird Battlefield Overlook

The overlook is on a hill above the White Bird Battlefield where a Nez Perce band made camp as they sought to avoid US soldiers who were to escort them to a reservation. On the morning of June 17, 1877, as the cavalry approached the camp, six Nez Perce came towards them holding a white flag.  Against orders, one of the soldiers fired on the Nez Perce. Warriors who had been concealed by the high grass returned fire.The battle that followed resulted in the death of 34 soldiers and forced the cavalry to retreat, leaving an escape route for the Nez Perce. 

The battle started Nez Perce on a 126-day, 1,170 mile journey toward Canada.They were only forty miles from the Canadian border when  soldiers surrounded them on October 5, 1877. Freezing and hungry, they were forced to surrender and settle on reservations. 

The overlook has a shelter and several interpretive signs. Everything is accessible.

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Overlook  45.80191, -116.2871

 

US Route 12 Lolo Pass

The Lewis and Clark Expedition reached the beginning of the trail across the Bitterroot Mountains in mid September 1805. Snow already covered the mountain tops but they had no choice but to continue because the pass wouldn't be clear of snow until the next summer. The 200 hundred mile trek took eleven days. They had to kill and eat several colts because there wasn't any game. The horses suffered from lack of forage and water and often fell and slid down the steep, rocky hills. This was the hardest part of the expedition's journey and they spent about a week with the Nez Perce tribe at Weippe Prairie recovering and resupplying.

The trail still exists as a primitive unpaved road built by the CCC in the 1930s - high clearance recommended. Fortunately Route 12, which follows the valley south of the Lolo Trail and winds along beside Lolo Creek and the Lochsa River, was completed in 1962 and is an easy and scenic route through the mountains. 

We drove west along Route 12 from Lolo, Montana to Kooskia, Idaho and made a few stops along the way. Our first stop was just across the Montana/ Idaho border at Lolo Pass Visitor Center. The parking lot has long RV spaces. Exhibits in the center focus on Native Americans and the Louis and Clark expedition. A short paved and boardwalk trail makes a loop though the forest and wetlands. The trail is accessible but the bridge over a small stream does not meet flush with the ground at either end. 

We also walked/rolled along the Glade Creek Loop Trail which I think is a cross country ski trail. It starts out wide and smooth and goes gradually uphill. It becomes narrower and gravely then starts downhill. We turned around at that point because we didn't know how long it was or if the terrain would become more difficult. We stopped back at the visitor center to ask about the trail and I think we could have completed it. Doable with a strong helper. 

Our next stop was at Devoto Grove Trail which is an accessible paved loop trail though beautiful old growth western red cedar trees. The largest parking pull off is on the opposite side of the road. 

 Mountains rise up on both sides of US 12 so we didn't expect to find many accessible trails but we decided to try Warm Springs Trail that follows Warm Spring Creek to Jerry Johnson Hot Springs. The first challenge is a steep downhill then after the bridge over the creek, a steep uphill. The trail starts out wide and smooth and we thought it would be okay but then we hit the rocks. Time to turn around. We gave it our best but it's definitely not accessible. A large parking lot with a vault toilet is on the opposite side of the street. 

We spent three nights along Route 12 - in a pull out, at Powell Campground, and at Knife Edge Campground. There are many pull offs along US 12 and none that we saw are signed "No Camping". Due to the number of people driving along Route 12 and the small size of the forest campgrounds, the pull outs can be a welcome overnight stop if all the campgrounds are full.  

Powell Campground has both electric and non-electric sites. All but ten sites can be reserved so electric sites may not be available. We camped in site 9, one of the few non-electric sites available in late afternoon. We didn't see any accessible sites but many are usable. Amenities include tables, fire rings, and vault toilets. Restrooms with running water and flush toilets are located near the camp host's site. 

Knife Edge Campground does not have a sign indicating that it is open for camping. The only sign is for a boat launch. This may be because the campground is very small and gets heavy use in the spring when the Lochsa River is high. From May 22 to June 30 half of the campsites are closed and the spaces are used for parking. The boat ramp is very rocky and seems like it's made for launching rafts, kayaks, and other small boats. We camped in the first site on the left which is a very long pull though site. We parked sideways for a better view. Amenities include tables, fire rings, a vault toilet, and changing rooms. None of the campsites are designated as accessible but they have tables with extended tops and high fire rings. 

US 12 is a winding road with 50 MPH as the highest speed. There isn't a lot of traffic and the road is suitable for any vehicle. The pull off are long and the campgrounds have spaces long enough for most RVs. US 12 Lolo Pass 

 

Henry's Fork Dispersed Camping

We had reservations for a few days in Yellowstone National Park and this was a good place to hang out until it was time to head to the park. Most of this area is national forest but there are blocks of private land or other public land interspersed with the forest land so if in doubt check this map. 

There are more dispersed camping sites closer to Yellowstone but this one seems like more of a sure thing during the busy season. It's a large area with a lot of different choices. We decided to stay in the first flat spot not far from the road. Other camping spots are farther in and most of the roads that loop around are okay for any vehicle. If it does get too crowded try some of the forest roads south of this spot.

The national forest butts against Harriman State Park. The park land is fenced off to keep people from straying onto the property but there is a break in the fence large enough to walk/roll through. A trail leads to the river.  Dispersed Camping  44.32173, -111.43261