Kelly Creek Roadless Area (Great Burn)

Kelly Creek Roadless Area Approximate Size: 275,000 acres (including MT portion) This vast expanse of wild country straddles the Montana/Idaho border and lies in the northern Bitterroot Mountains. The area burned heavily in the great fire of 1910, leaving charred snags, grassy slopes, and expanses of sub-alpine tundra-like meadows. High cirques, impressive stands of mountain hemlock, and dozens of clear lakes also adorn the high country. While not as high and "craggy" as the main Bitterroot range to the south, the area displays magical pockets of ancient western red cedar, some individuals over 500 years old, and a carpeted underfoot with mossy beds of sword and maidenhair ferns. Peaks such as Rhodes and Williams rise to nearly 8,000 feet, and an abundance of moisture nurtures the area. Kelly Creek Roadless Area is a critical biological link between the massive Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness complex to the south and the Cabinet-Yaak ecosystem to the north. Full protection of this interestate wildland is essential to preserving populations of wide ranging large carnivores such as wolverines.