The Spotted Bear Ranger District closed its portion of the Bob Marshall Wilderness due to the fire danger . . .
As fires bloom, the options to recreate in the Bob Marshall Wilderness are rapidly diminishing. The Spotted Bear Ranger District will shut down the entire wilderness portion of the district because of fires and fire danger beginning Friday morning, fire information officer Al Koss said. That includes lands in both the Bob Marshall and the Great Bear Wilderness.
The non-wilderness portion remains open, though the Spotted Bear Campground is closed. Koss said wilderness rangers are giving who are already in the backcountry a few days to get out of the area.
The decision came as multiple fires burn in the district. One new fire, detected yesterday, is near Lena Lake in the wilderness. That fire is now 40 acres in size. That forced the closure of the Holland Lake trailhead. The Meadow Creek Trailhead is also closed due to the fires.