The Anaconda Pintler Wilderness is Beautiful!
Written: Dec 29 '01
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Pros: Solitude, scenic beauty, wildlife viewing, and history.
Cons: No anacondas!!!!!!
The Bottom Line: The Anaconda Pintler Wilderness is one of Montana's best kept secrets(until now).
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| Ironcladd's Full Review: Anaconda Pintler Wilderness |
Montana is a state that is dear and close to my heart. I have visited it on numerous occasions in my life and have enjoyed every experience I have had there. From the Little Bighorn Battlefield to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area, Montana has not only places of historical interest and cultural fascination, but also has places of incredible scenic and natural beauty, wide open spaces, and the proverbial "Big Sky". The Rocky Mountains rise in the western and west central parts of Montana, and are majestic and usually clothed in an emerald coat of forests at their bases and midriffs. The Anaconda Pintler Wilderness is one such place of solitude where one can enjoy natural Montana beauty in all its glory. I visited there recently on a family vacation, and it was a truly wonderful experience. What follows is a table of information on the wilderness area, and a review of the highlights of the park.
Information on the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness Area.
Year Designated as Wilderness Area: 1964
Size: 160,000 acres
Location: Southwestern Montana, in the Bitterroot Range.
Nearest City: Sula
Elevation Range: 5400 ft. above sea level on the Bitterroot River, to 10,793 ft. above sea level on West Goat Peak.
Roads: No, not in the Wilderness Area itself! (But roads lead up to the Wilderness Area to key camping sites and trailheads)
Trails: Yes, miles and miles of them, well kept too.
Camping: Yes, several sites.
Wildlife Viewing: Yes
Fishing: Yes, some great trout fishing here in the Bitterroot River and Big Hole Rivers.
Picnic Areas: Yes, but careful of those bears!
Administered by: The Beaverhead Deerlodge National Forest Ranger Stations.
Highlights of the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness Area.
How we got there.
We accessed the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness Area by coming into Missoula, Montana, and driving south on I-93, to the small town of Sula. From here, you can drive to the campground and trailhead areas on the western portion of the wilderness area.
Things to do in the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness Area.
Camping.
This is a basic necessity when visiting this wilderness area, since there really aren’t hotels around, nor any cities of any size. There is a nice campground on the western side, about a dozen miles up the road from the tiny city of Sula. It is your basic campground with few facilities, except primitive bathrooms and your basic drive up national forest type of campsites. From this campground, you have the wilderness area at your fingertips, well, your hiking feet, as it were. The campground is on the banks of a small, swift flowing cold stream that lulls you to sleep and makes your waking seem very pleasant indeed. Opposite this stream on the other side of the campground is a talus slide with pikas to look at, and tons of bird life too. Trails radiate out in many directions from this campground and are well worth traversing for the purposes of exploration and wildlife viewing. We camped here for 4 nights in tents and sleeping bags, and generally had the place to ourselves even though it was peak travel season for the west, in August. Just remember that when camping, and dining, wildlife is attracted to your campsite, so be careful.
Hiking.
Miles of trails are in this wilderness area, including the 45-mile-long section of the 3,100-mile Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (here called the Hi-Line Trail), which traverses the length of the wilderness area. Many other trails are here as well, and you can have an easy time of it, or an easy time on shorter trails. If you do the backcountry trails, be prepared for anything from sudden blizzards and thunderstorms to encounters with wildlife including cougar and bear. Hiking is the main way to see the main sites, however, since there are no roads inside the wilderness area.
Wildlife Viewing.
From Stellar’s Jays to Grizzly and Black Bear, Mule Deer, Pika, Trout, White tailed deer, Coyote, Red Fox, Rattlesnakes, Rubber Boas, Chipmunks, Great Gray Owls, Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles, Moose, Elk, Mountain Goats, to various songbirds, the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness seems to have everything except anacondas (but has their close relative, the rubber boa, an 18-24 inch live bearing smallest member of the Boidae family, of which the anaconda is the largest). We had some cool wildlife encounters here, including a persistent red fox at our campground site, a Great Gray Owl by the river, Pikas, those adorable members of the Lagomorphidae family (rabbit family), to a full grown bull Moose sauntering through our camp in the morning, and a western toad in the camp at night on the camp paths. I came across a rubber boa moving out in the open, they are gentle snakes, and hide their head, and curl up into a ball, presenting the tail. It is amazing to find a member of the tropical Boidae family so far north in such inhospitable mountains! Hearing coyotes, and nowadays, wolves, can send a thrilling chill up your spine as well!
Fishing.
Some of the most exciting cutthroat and rainbow trout fishing can be had up here. We didn’t fish, but saw some anglers at work. Get a fishing license from the state of Montana to go fishing and check at the ranger’s stations for more information.
Scenic Viewing.
The awe-inspiring majesty of the natural areas here are not to be underestimated. Some of the most spectacular views are waiting for you to feast your eyes upon, from lofty West Goat Peak to the Big Hole River, to forests, meadows, trees, snow covered mountains, deep valleys, glacial moraines, cirques, u-shaped valleys carved by glaciers, steep canyons, crystal clear lakes and mountain streams, and even more. Forests of pine and spruce clothe the mountains here, and the Bitterroot Mountains are truly lovely any time of year. The climate of the wilderness area is cold and snowy most of the year, but the summer is usually characterized by dry, hot days, with cool and almost cold nights. This is truly a pristine area, and is in much the same condition it was when Lewis and Clark visited 200 years ago.
History Recognition.
I mentioned Lewis and Clark, didn’t I? Well, they came through here, and barely made it out. Their guide was an aged Shoshone Indian, and they did make it through, and were befriended by the Nez Perce Indians, who showed them great kindness, nursed them back to health, and sheltered them for the winter, and not only did it once, but twice, on the way through and the way back. The Bitterroot Mountains were once dreaded for the amount of snow that falls here in winter. Of course, the USA repaid the kindness of the Nez Perce by forcing them onto a reservation, and when, in 1877, hostilities broke out, Chief Joseph led them through this area, on a great retreat to Canada. There is the nearby Big Hole National Battlefield that is worth visiting. History abounds in this land of natural history, to be sure.
All in all, the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness Area is a true forgotten gem in the crown jewels of the American West. Few people visit it because there are no big cities nor any amenities nearby. The only thing I can recall from my visit was a lovely little restaurant in Sula that had some truly great cuisine and with a wonderful view of the mountains from its window.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
Ironcladd
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Member: James Zaworski
Location: Shenzhen, China
Reviews written: 495
Trusted by: 156 members
About Me:
I am an English teacher, Archeologist and Anthropologist.
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