MAGRUDER ROAD CORRIDOR

Transcription

1 United Sttes Deprtment of Agriculture Forest Service NEZ PERCE AND BITTERROOT FORESTS MAGRUDER ROAD CORRIDOR Vist t Dry Sddle A guide to the historic Mgruder Rod

2 South Fork Dixie Elk City y Red River Idho To Grngeville Montn Red River Rnger Sttion 285 U U The Mgruder Rod Corridor FRANK CHURCH-RIVER OF NO RETURN Introduction The 101-mile primitive Mgruder Corridor Rod winds through vst undeveloped re, offering solitude nd pristine beuty s well s expnsive mountin views. The lndscpe is much the sme s when the Nez Perce Indins nd other erly trvelers crossed the re. The rod hs chnged little since its construction by the Civilin Conservtion Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. It hs lso been known s the Southern Nez Perce Tril, Elk City to Drby Rod, Montn Rod nd the Prker Tril. Wilderness The corridor ws creted in 1980 when the Centrl Idho Wilderness Act ws pssed, leving unique rod tht enbles trveler to drive between two wildernesses: the Pge 1 IDAHO SELWAY-BITTERROOT U MONTANA To Hmilton Drby West Forky To Lost Tril Pss To Shoup, ID 1.2- million-cre Selwy-Bitterroot Wilderness to the north, nd the 2.3-million-cre Frnk Church- River of No Return Wilderness to the south. Together, they represent the lrgest unroded block of lnd in the lower 48 sttes nd re nerly twice s lrge s the combined sttes of Delwre nd Rhode Islnd. To help sfegurd the nturl-ness of wilderness, prctice leve no trce techniques to ensure the country you cme to enjoy will remin intct for future genertions. Another sfegurd is the use of certified weed-seed-free products. As of Jnury 1, 1996, ll forge or mulch used on ntionl forest lnds in Idho nd Montn must be noxious weed-seed-free. Remember the use of motorized or mechnized equipment or vehicles is not permitted in designted wilderness.

3 Are Access The Mgruder Rod, Forest Rod #, is mostly unimproved. The west end intersects Forest Rod #222, 0.3 mile south of the old Red River Rnger Sttion (65 miles est of Grngeville, Idho). The est end is 0.8 mile south of West Fork Rnger Sttion (18 miles southwest of Drby, Montn). Rod Conditions This primitive one-lne rod is rough, steep nd winding, with few turnouts for pssing oncoming vehicles. It is suitble for high clernce vehicles, pickup trucks, motorcycles nd mountin bikes. The Forest Service does not recommend towing trilers becuse there re severl hirpin turns long the route. Motor homes with low clernce should not trvel the rod. Snow begins to fll in erly October nd persists into July; however, snowstorms re possible t ny time. Four-wheel-drive is recommended when the rod is snow covered or muddy. Remember you re trveling through n extensive undeveloped re with no services for 117 miles. Be sure you strt with vehicle in good operting condition, full tnk of gs nd spre tire. At ll times be lert for other trffic, wshouts, fllen trees nd other debris on the rod. The rod is busiest during the Idho hunting seson: mid-september through mid-november. Trvel Time Trvel time vries, but it tkes eight to ten hours to trvel from Red River to Drby without rest stops. The verge speed will be miles per hour. A two-dy trip is idel with n overnight sty t one of the dispersed or primitive cmpsite loctions. Tke your time, bsorb the solitude nd enjoy the remoteness fr from the hssles of crowded highwys. Cmping When cmping t primitive loctions, plese follow these guidelines: Choose site 200 feet from trils nd wter. Use existing fire grtes nd fire rings when building cmpfires. When going to the bthroom, do s ct: dig hole nd bury humn wste. Mintin distnce of 200 feet from wter nd trils. Mke sure your cmpfire is ded out when you leve. Pck out ll trsh, both yours nd tht of others. Leve no trce of your sty. Drinking Wter Wter from springs, lkes, ponds nd strems should not be consumed without proper tretment (boiling for more thn five minutes or using wter filter) s girdi could be present. It is good ide to crry extr wter. Pge 2

4 Red River Rnger Sttion to Grnite Springs To Grngeville 14 Red River Rnger Sttion South Fork Red River 222 Dixie Elk City y Red River Rnger District Mountin Grnite Medows Springs FRANK CHURCH- RONR Elk City Rnger Sttion Visitors re encourged to stop t the Elk City Rnger Sttion on the Red River Rnger District in Elk City nd sk questions bout mps, rod conditions, wether nd ny other concerns. After office hours, visitors cn obtin limited informtion t n interpretive sign t the old Red River Rnger Sttion (now closed) tht briefly describes the Nez Perce Tril. It is locted just south of the rnger sttion long with n RV dump sttion. Mgruder Rod # begins on the left side of Rod #222. The first eight miles re stedy climb. Oregon Butte Lookout nd Bufflo Hump re visible to the west. Mountin Medows The hedwters of Medow Creek lie directly north of the rod. Pge 3 Visitors will find the Mountin Medows cmpsite in this vicinity. At 14-Mile Tree, the trilhed begins for Trils 501 nd 580, which led into the Frnk Church- River of No Return Wilderness. There is n informtion bord, registrtion box nd toilet. Stock fcilities include feeding rck nd hitching rils. Grnite Springs Cmpground Grnite Springs Cmpground lies on both sides of the rod. It hs drinking wter, pit toilets, picnic tbles, stock fcilities nd wter for stock. The Southern Nez Perce Tril prllels portion of the Mgruder Corridor Rod. The Nez Perce Indins found prcticl hunting/ gthering route tht followed the South Fork of the Clerwter River to the rolling country nd lush medows ner Elk City nd the upper Red River dringe. The tril went south of the extremely difficult terrin of the Selwy- Bitterroot Wilderness, nd lso voided the more rugged portion of the deep, nrrow Slmon River cnyon.

5 Elk Mountin Rod to Burnt Knob Lookout Green Mtn. U 285 Burnt Knob Poet Creek U FRANK CHURCH- RIVER OF NO RETURN C Elk Mountin Rod #285 The rod continues to climb from the Grnite Springs Cmpground. Elk Mountin Rod #285 brnches to the northest, driveble 4-miles to the Green Mountin Lookout, with views of the Red River dringe. From the #285 junction, the Mgruder Rod winds steeply down into Brgmin Creek. Drive slowly nd wtch for brkes heting up. Poet Creek Cmpground Poet Creek Cmpground lies north of the Mgruder Rod. It hs four cmping units with tbles, fireplces, prking spurs, nd pit toilets. There is no developed wter source. Becuse stock is not permitted in the cmpground, four mngers re locted south of the rod. Here in the Mgruder Corridor nd djcent wildernesses, diverse plnt communities fill hbitt needs for vriety of mmmls, birds, reptiles nd mphibins. Lrge mmmls include blck ber, sheep, gots nd four deer fmily members - whitetil nd mule deer, elk nd moose. Deer re the most commonly seen nimls. There re mny smller mmmls, such s bdger, wolverine, pine mrten, mink nd wesels, but count yourself lucky if you see one. However, you ll see ground squirrels, golden-mntle squirrels, red squirrels nd two kinds of chipmunks. You cn differentite between chipmunks nd goldenmntle squirrels, s the chipmunk s white stripes extend onto its hed. Be lert while trveling to increse your chnces of seeing wildlife. Burnt Knob Lookout Rod From Poet Creek Cmpground, the rod climbs steeply for eight miles with few shrp curves. Burnt Knob #-C brnches off to the north. This rod is recommended for 4-wheel-drive only nd ends t Burnt Knob Lookout. Three Prong Tril #539, which strts in the sddle below the lookout, ccesses McArthur, Stillmn nd Burnt Knob lkes. Pge 4

6 Dry Sddle Trilhed to Horse Heven Sddle Dry Sddle Sbe Vist Dry Sddle Trilhed Dry Sddle Trilhed lies both north nd south of the rod nd hs pit toilets, loding rmp nd grveled prking re. Elevtion t the trilhed is 7920 feet. It provides ccess to mny high mountin lkes long Sheep Hill Tril #575. It is ten-mile hike to Sheep Hill fire lookout tower. Pge 5 SELWAY- BITTERROOT Horse Heven FRANK CHURCH- RIVER OF NO RETURN Sbe Vist From Dry Sddle, the rough nd winding rod drops down to Sbe Sddle nd then climbs bck up gin to Sbe Vist, which offers mny scenic views. Elevtion is 7490 feet t the vist. This portion of the rod is very nrrow nd sometimes very steep. There re few plces to pss nother vehicle. A lrge burn, which ws prt of the Ldder Creek Fire complex, is visible t Sbe Vist. In 1988, three lightning strikes strted three different fires, which eventully merged into one fire. Nerly 70,000 cres were burned in three Ntionl Forests (Nez Perce, Bitterroot nd Pyette). Fire is nturl force which rejuventes the environment. Horse Heven Sddle Horse Heven is nmed for its lush grzing grsses. Elevtion t the sddle is 7070 feet. Horse Heven Cbin ws built in 1939 t CCC Cmp ner Drby, MT. It ws then dissssembled nd trnsported more thn 60 miles west where it once functioned s firefighter's cbin. The cbin is south of the rod on the spur rod mrked for tril #028. The one-room log cbin is presently on the Forest Service cbin rentl progrm nd will ccommodte four people. Reservtions nd informtion is vilble t the West Fork Rnger Sttion.

7 int Slmon Mountin Are to Observtion Point SELWAY- BITTERROOT Observtion Point Slmon Mtn. RS Site Slmon Mtn. Lookout Tril Slmon Mtn. Bse Cmp FRANK CHURCH- RIVER OF NO RETURN Slmon Mountin Are The Old Slmon Mountin Rnger Sttion site ws estblished in Nerby is the Slmon Mountin bse cmp, very populr trilhed during hunting seson. It hs stock fcilities. A one-mile tril leds to the Slmon Mountin lookout tower which is stffed by volunteers during fire seson. The elevtion is 8944 feet. Mountin gots re often seen on the rocky crgs nd tlus slopes of Slmon Mountin. This re is one of the few plces in Americ where you cn see the sublpine lrch. The lrch is the only deciduous coniferous tree, mening tht its needles turn yellow nd drop off in the fll. Sublpine Lrch "Ribbon forests" re visible on the slopes in this re. These re elongted nrrow forest strips growing perpendiculr to previling wind directions nd lternting with nrrow bnds of moist-wet sublpine medows clled snow gldes. Also, you cn find good exmples of ghost trees on the mountin. These whitebrk pines were killed by combintion of mountin pine beetle nd blister rust ttcks. They becme bleched from the summer sun, giving them ghost-white ppernce. Ner the pek of the mountin re bnner or flg trees nd stunted trees clled krummholz, which re often hundreds of yers old nd only two feet high. Observtion Point Observtion Point Cmpground hs nice cmping spots nd toilets. The elevtion is 7620 feet nd visitors cn view the southern portion of the Bitterroot Mountin Rnge, especilly El Cpitn. The point lso offers brethtking vists of sublpine/lpine wilderness. Pge 6

8 Mgruder Crossing SELWAY- BITTERROOT Mgruder Crossing Bridge The only plce in the upper Selwy dringe you cn drive cross the Selwy River is t Mgruder crossing. This steel pony-truss bridge ws built by CCC s in The cmpground hs picnic tbles, toilet, stock fcilities nd wter for stock. Pge 7 Msscre 6223 Site Mgruder Crossing Slmon Mtn. Are FRANK CHURCH- RIVER OF NO RETURN Lloyd Mgruder Gold ws discovered ner Pierce, Idho, in 1861 nd ner Bnnck, Montn, in Mny miners nd trders used the Southern Nez Perce Tril s the most direct route from Elk City, Idho, to Bnnck or Virgini City, Montn. In 1863 Lloyd Mgruder nd compnions were returning long this route from Virgini City fter mking hndsome profit of gold dust from selling supplies to miners. Four other trvelers joined the Mgruder group. A few dys lter, the trvelers ttcked, murdered nd robbed Mgruder nd his compnions in the drk of the night. The murderers burned nd buried the evidence of their crime nd fled to Sn Frncisco with their stolen booty. Hill Bechy, Mgruder s friend, pursued the murderers nd brought them bck to stnd tril in Lewiston, Idho. The tril resulted in the first legl hnging in the Idho Territory. Lloyd Mgruder hd been successful Cliforni merchnt. He ws well respected mn nd hd mny friends. Prior to his illfted trip, he hd greed to represent the Idho Territory in Congress. As result of this event, mny plces ber the nme Mgruder, mong them the rod on which you re trveling.

9 Prdise Rod to Prdise SELWAY- BITTERROOT 6223 Prdise Indin Creek Rven Creek FRANK CHURCH- RIVER OF NO RETURN Prdise Rod #6223 Trvellers on this nrrow onelne rod will enjoy plesnt 12- mile drive long the Wild nd Scenic Selwy River. The river flows through deep, beutiful cnyon with some stnds of western red cedr long its bnks. There is pck bridge for the tril to Spot Mountin Lookout. Three cmpgrounds re vilble long the rod: Rven Creek, Indin Creek nd Prdise. The rod ends t Prdise Cmpground. Indin Creek Htchery The Indin Creek htching chnnel ws constructed in 1964 so tht spring chinook slmon eggs could be plnted in the Selwy River dringe. Fish hd been unble to rech the Selwy since the construction of the Lewiston Dm in A totl of pproximtely two million eggs were plnted ech yer from 1965 to 1981 nd gin in In the spring the emerging fry were trpped nd distributed in the upper Selwy by vehicle, stock nd ircrft. This supplemented the nturlly spwning chinook slmon in the Selwy River. Chinook slmon re found throughout the Selwy River, however, they re usully seen during pek spwning ctivity in lte August nd erly September. Prdise The elevtion t Prdise is 3067 feet. A lunch site for river rfting is locted ner the end of Prdise Rod. Permits re required from My 15 to July 31 to flot the 47- mile section of the Selwy River from Prdise to Selwy Flls. Informtion cn be obtined from the West Fork Rnger Sttion. Prdise Cmpground is 1/4 mile up White Cp Creek rod. The cmpground hs eleven sites, with toilets, picnic tbles, stock fcilities nd met rcks. This is very hevily used trilhed during hunting seson. A Forest Service dministrtive site is djcent to the Prdise Cmpground with cbin, brn nd corrls. Pge 8

10 Mgruder Gurd Sttion to Hells Hlf Acre Mgruder Gurd Sttion SELWAY- BITTERROOT CCC Cmp Deep Creek FRANK CHURCH- RIVER OF NO RETURN 224 U Hells Hlf Acre Mgruder Gurd Sttion The Mgruder Gurd Sttion is locted 1/2 mile from Rod #. The elevtion is 4100 feet. Potble wter is vilble here, but no other services re vilble t this remote sttion. A host my be here during summer months to offer informtion to visitors. After the widespred forest fires of 1910 nd 1919, the Forest Service built mny low-stndrd rods into the re. The rod long Deep Creek ws first surveyed in nd the rod ws constructed to the newly estblished tent cmp known s Deep Creek Rnger Sttion. The nme ws lter chnged to Mgruder. The CCC improved the originl rod in 1936 nd finished constructing one-lne rod from the sttion to Elk City. The office/residence nd rnger's house were built by Ole Tngen, Forest Service employee. The CCC constructed the brn, corrl nd woodshed. The sttion is eligible for nomintion to the Ntionl Register of Historic Plces. The structures re excellent exmples of rustic log construction nd interior crftsmnship. Deep Creek Bridge The Deep Creek bridge is beutiful exmple of rched ntive cut-stone construction. It ws built by Lithunin stone msons who were ssisted by CCC enrollees in the 1930 s. Deep Creek Cmpground The cmpground hs three sites with picnic tbles, toilets nd stock fcilities. CCC Cmp This ws spike cmp used by the CCC enrollees during construction of the rod. The stone wter fountin, n incinertor nd severl rock foundtions, remnnts of the cmp, re still visible long both sides of Deep Creek. Hells Hlf Acre Rod #224 The rod to Hells Hlf Acre Lookout is 11 miles long nd extremely steep, nrrow nd rocky. The lookout is stffed during fire seson. The West Fork nd Red River Districts cn contct the tower by rdio for permission to visit. Pge 9

11 ion Nez Perce Pss to West Fork Rnger Sttion IDAHO MONTANA To Hmilton Little West Fork Fles Flt Nez Perce Pss Drby West Fork y To Lost Tril Pss To Shoup, ID Pved Rod Before the 1980 Centrl Idho Wilderness Act ws pssed, some of the re ws prepred for timber sles. This 14-mile section of the rod ws pved in the 1970 s in nticiption of those sles. If you re hiking in the re, you my notice trees mrked for cutting. Timber hrvest is not llowed in designted wilderness res. Nez Perce Pss The elevtion t Nez Perce Pss is 6598 feet. An informtion bord t the pss interprets the history of the re nd provides visitors with generl informtion bout this spectculr re. There is lrge prking re, toilet nd stock fcilities. A helicopter lnding site is locted t the pss. Plese do not prk on the lnding zone. Fles Flt Cmpground This cmpground is nmed for Wesley Fles, trpper, woodsmn nd erly Forest Service employee, who locted homested on the flt round He built cbin there which burned bout Since he did not complete the ptent process on his homested, the entry ws cncelled in June, Fles Flt ws lso the site of CCC cmp in Numerous scrred ponderos pine trees re visible throughout the cmpground nd hillsides to the north. The sweet cmbium beneth the trees' brk ws n importnt food for the Slish nd Nez Perce people who pssed through this re. Little West Fork Cmpground The elevtion is 4580 feet. Segments of the originl CCC rod re often visible bout 25 feet north of the present dy rod. Remnnts of the historic bridges re visible t Wtchtower Creek nd Little West Fork Creek. In the winter, this is prking lot for snowmobilers. West Fork Rnger Sttion Visitors re encourged to stop nd sk questions bout mps, rod conditions, wether nd ny other concerns. Pge 10

12 For More Informtion Nez Perce Ntionl Forest Route 2, Box 475 Grngeville, ID (208) *TTY (208) Red River Rnger District Elk City Rnger Sttion HC01, Box 416 Elk City, ID (208) Bitterroot Ntionl Forest 1801 North 1st Street Hmilton, MT (406) *TTY (406) West Fork Rnger District 6735 West Fork Rod Drby, MT (406) Website: *Telephone for Hering Impired The U. S. Deprtment of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimintion in ll its progrms nd ctivities on the bsis of rce, color, ntionl origin, gender, religion, ge, disbility, politicl beliefs, sexul orienttion nd mritl or fmily sttus. (Not ll prohibited bses pply to ll progrms.) Persons with disbilities who require lterntive mens for communiction of progrm informtion (Brille, lrge print, udiotpe, etc.) should contct USDA s TARGET Center t (voice nd TDD). To file complint of discrimintion, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th nd Independence Avenue, SW, Wshington, DC , or cll (voice nd TDD). USDA is n equl opportunity provider nd employer. Arrowlef Blsmrootooo R