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Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness

The Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness is the third largest wilderness in the lower 48 states, surpassed in size only by California's Death Valley Wilderness and Idaho's Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness (RONR). Less than one-fifth of the area lies in Montana (see Idaho, Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness).

Only the 600-foot-wide Nez Perce Trail (The Magruder Corridor), an unimproved dirt road, separates the Selway-Bitterroot from the Frank Church-RONR. This Wilderness straddles both sides of the Bitterroot Mountain Range, which stands along the Montana-Idaho border and includes the Wild and Scenic Selway River, all of which flows through Idaho.

A small portion of this wilderness is within the Lolo National Forest. Montana access is mostly through the Bitterroot National Forest.

Reservations

General Information

Learn more about the Selway Bitterroot Wilderness.

Prohibited by Special Order in the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. 

Please visit the Forest's Alerts page for information on restrictions, in particular please review the Food/Wildlife Attractant Storage Order to help reduce the likelihood of human-to-bear conflicts.  

 

Photo of the Lolo National Forest Supervisor's Office.

Address: 24 Fort Missoula Road Missoula, MT 59804
Phone: 406-329-3814
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Closed on federal holidays)

Facility and Amenity Information

Restrooms

Restroom information is not available for this site.

Water

Potable water is not available at this site.

Horse/Pack Animal Information

Horse/Pack animals are allowed at this site.

Recreation Opportunities

Fishing - River/StreamFishing - River/Stream

Last updated April 16, 2026