Bear Creek - Bitterroot Mountains, Montana

Bear Creek Falls and a view of the characteristic sheer cliffs typical of the canyons of the Bitterroot Range in Montana. This is about a mile and a half from the trailhead, about 4500 ft elevation. A very popular spot: Sunday June 30, 2002.
Bear grass is a uniquely Montana flower, which blooms in early summer in the subalpine forests above 4500 feet elevation. This one is nearly fully open, in the Bitterroot National Forest near the boundary of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness on Bear Creek, near Victor, Montana.
A stand of bear grass in full bloom frames the entrance to the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Bear Creek, FT5, Bitterroot National Forest.
About two miles up Bear Creek near Victor, Montana, the view opens to a glimpse of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, straddling the Idaho-Montana Border.
At a rock slide two miles from the Bear Creek trailhead, the eastward view looks back into the Bitterroot Valley. This was our first back country outing of the season, so we settled for a relatively moderate day hike. The drought is definitely over in this part of Montana. There were many rivulets crossing and threading down the trail in places. All in all, a very enjoyable trip, and a beautiful setting.