A Helicopter Ride Through the Bob Marshall Wilderness (Photo Journal)

It's as epic as it sounds...

A few autumns ago Jim and I had the opportunity to take a helicopter ride with the US Forest Service through the Bob Marshall wilderness as part of our effort to document the Flathead National Forest (a continuation of the project I shared photos of in my last missive). Wow. I’ll just go ahead and say, if you ever have the opportunity to do this or explore this magical piece of public lands, don’t pass it up.

Pick of the Week: A new take on a favorite classic of ours – Jim currently uses one of these daily for his morning routine.

Myself and Jim with our Forest Service crew and pilot

We were required to wear flight suits which was fun and had to make sure that all of our cameras were attached to us in some way, shape, or form. Finally use for the extra paracord we always pack and a chance to put our boy scout knot training to use! After we were all geared up we took off for what ended up being about a half day in the air. I don’t know about you but while a short helicopter can be pretty amazing, a longer one can be a bit much. Those puppies are loud and pilots always have a way with filmmakers doing their best to “get us close for the best shot”! We’ve had some fun encounters like that over the years – one of the Frank Church Wilderness comes to mind… (fodder for a future missive).

Along the way that day we got to land at a couple of fun spots including a high elevation fire lookout as well as Schafer Ranger Station. I have to say, the immensity of the wilderness area was hard to comprehend. Flying for hours and hardly scratching the surface of this place is more than enough to give one that the sense of just how small we are in the vastness of it all…

In case the Bob piques your interest for some future trip inspiration, below are some photos from our trip along with some fun facts about the area.

Fun facts about the Bob Marshall Wilderness:

• Size: The Bob Marshall Wilderness spans over 1.5 million acres, making it the third largest wilderness area in the contiguous United States behind Death Valley Wilderness (3.1 million acres) and the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness (2.36 million acres).

• Location: It is part of the Northern Rockies (located in Montana) and lies within the boundaries of the Flathead National Forest and Lewis and Clark National Forest.

• Designation: Established in 1964 under the Wilderness Act, it was named after Bob Marshall, a forester, writer, and wilderness advocate who co-founded The Wilderness Society.

• The Chinese Wall: A prominent geological feature in the wilderness is the Chinese Wall, a dramatic limestone escarpment that stretches for over 22 miles and rises up to 1,000 feet in some areas (we got to see this on our ride - photos below)

• Wildlife Habitat: The area provides critical habitat for grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, mountain lions, moose, elk, and mountain goats, among other species.

• Rivers: Major waterways include the South Fork of the Flathead River, a designated Wild and Scenic River, and numerous tributaries, offering pristine fishing opportunities.

• Vegetation: It features a mix of coniferous forests, alpine meadows, and wetlands, showcasing diverse plant life, including lodgepole pine, spruce, and wildflowers.

Photos from the Bob

The Chinese Wall

The spectacular fire towers had some serious Lord of the Rings vibes going on

Schafer ranger station here’s a map pin in case you’re curious.

Here’s myself and Jim prior to boarding

Hope you enjoyed this little Monday dose of trip inspiration!

Best,
Will