At a Glance
Quick Tips
- Grizzlies live in this unit; keep food and game meat out of reach
- Buy a wolf tag
- Buy an elk and a whitetail deer tag
- Bring a rod for trout and steelhead fishing in the rivers
Terrain
Access
Historical Temperatures
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A few moose live in this unit, which is made up of forested and logged mountains near the Lochsa and North Fork of the Clearwater rivers.
Hunters here have a challenge filling their moose tags because animal numbers are limited and dense cover makes it difficult to see bulls.
This unit is full of heavily forested mountains. The edges and slopes next to major river drainages are steep. The higher peaks and ridges are between 5,000 and 6,500 feet above sea level and include Walde Mountain, Frenchman Butte, Boundary Peak, Fish Butte and McLendon Butte. These peaks and buttes rise sharply above the Lochsa River, which starts at about 2,625 feet above sea level and drops to about 1,450 feet.
Dense forests of cedar, pine, tamarack, spruce and fir cover the land. Trees have been cleared from much of the western half, leaving behind a network of roads and many large clearcuts. The cuts are in various stages of regrowth, creating many edges and promoting the growth of small trees, brush and shrubs that moose eat. Some drainages have many natural openings, but good vantage points are scattered. Some steep south and west-facing slopes are sparsely timbered.
Hunters can camp along interior forest roads and along the Lolo Trail. The Forest Service maintains five campgrounds in this unit along U.S. Highway 12 and Rocky Ridge Lake Campground has three primitive campsites on the Lolo Trail. Lodging is available in Kooskia with a couple of bed and breakfasts, Western Motor Inn and River Junction RV Park. River Dance Lodge has rooms as well as cabins and luxury tents.
Roughly 313 square miles
99.3% public land
Elevations from 1,500-6,500 feet
A network of roads open to most vehicles can be found here. The Lolo Creek-Syringa and Liz Butte-Blackhead maps show roads that are open to vehicles. The main roads are U.S. Highway 12, which cuts through the unit, and the Lolo Trail. Both of those roads are open to full-size vehicles.
ATVs are recommended on interior forest roads
Four-wheel-drive is recommended