Ninemile Wildlands Training Center
The Ninemile Wildlands Training Center (NWTC) is located at the historic Ninemile Ranger Station on the Lolo National Forest in west central Montana. Our facility, the Ninemile Remount Depot, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Remount Depot was built in the 1930's by the Civilian Conservation Corps as a pack stock breeding/training facility and is still a working ranch. Because of our unique facility and history of training at the Remount, the NWTC was started in 1988 to again provide traditional skills training to Forest Service employees. These classes cover all different types of traditional skills: care and handling of traditional tools, horsemanship and packing, historic building preservation and maintenance, and low impact backcountry stock use.
Training Center Courses and Registration
Courses at Ninemile is the best of traditional skills training, covering pack and saddle stock, traditional tools, dutch oven cooking, and many more subjects! This is great training for everyone, and you will take your new skills straight to the field.
2025 Stock Course Descriptions and Schedule
Stock use and packing has been the tradition at Ninemile since the Remount was established in 1930. Learning to pack mules and horses is what this class is all about. We’ve offered the packing clinic at Ninemile since 1980, and we’re still going strong!
This course includes in-depth discussion and hands on application of stock anatomy, saddles, tack, process of mantying, feeding and care of stock, safe stock handling techniques, packing the Decker saddle, and minimum impact camping and stock use techniques. You will learn techniques for packing traditional mantied loads to difficult items such as water bars, bridge decking, gravel, and tools.
An overnight pack trip rounds out the week, with an opportunity to use your new packing skills.
This 5-day course is taught by Northern Region Packer Robin Connell.
This class is best for individuals that already have some stock experience.
Course size: 8
Dates:
- May 5-9, 2025
- June 2-6, 2025
Tuition Cost: $650
This course is for beginner, intermediate, and advanced individuals. Participants will learn safe, correct procedures for riding and handling saddle horses and mules. Techniques for correcting bad habits or undesirable behavior in riding stock will also be presented. You are encouraged to bring your own horse to this session, although we will provide one if you’re unable to bring your own.
This 2-day course is taught by horse trainer Ely Indreland.
Course size: 6
Dates:
- May 13-14, 2025
- May 27-28, 2025
- June 10-11, 2025
Tuition Cost: $350
This course meets the Forest Service Region One requirements for Defensive Horse Safety training.
2025 Traditional Skills Course Descriptions and Schedule
This class is an intensive hands-on course emphasizing the art and science of fitting up and properly caring for crosscut saws. Topics include styles of saws, qualities to look for when buying a saw, tools required to fit-up a saw, etc. Most of the class time will be spent learning to properly sharpen your saw. At the end of the week, you’ll have an opportunity to spend an afternoon in the field practicing falling and bucking techniques and testing your newly sharpened saw!
Bring two or three saws if you have them, and all the filing tools you can lay your hands on. We’ll discuss the different tools and make sure they’re properly adjusted. There will be plenty of tools and saws if you are unable to bring your own.
Saw expert David Brizendine will be instructing this five-day course.
Course size: 5
Dates:
- March 31-April 4
- April 7-11
Tuition Cost: $650
This five-day course provides safe and proper instruction on use of the axe as a stand-alone tool or as a tool that can be used in conjunction with crosscut saws or other relevant hand tools. Hands-on instruction topics will include axe types, handle replacement, sharpening, and proper felling and bucking technique. All instruction emphasizes safety. Bring two or three axe heads for handling and sharpening! This course will be taught by Peter Bauer, Forest Service Trails Technician.
Course size: 6
Dates:
- March 31-April 4
Tuition Cost: $450
* Class depends on instructor availability
Contact Us
For more information, call us at 406-626-5201.
Or write to us:
Ninemile Wildlands Training Center
Ninemile Ranger Station
20325 Remount Road
Huson, MT 59846
Northern Region Pack Train
The Northern Region Pack Train is a regional specialty pack string serving Montana, northern Idaho, North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota, supporting Forest Service projects and representing the Forest Service to the public with education and community service.
