The Bob Marshall Wilderness

The Bob Marshall Wilderness encompasses 1 million acres of mountains, forests, and rivers near Kalispell, Montana. Four intrepid prostaffers, Bowhunter, Wade Rivers, JohnW, and Agrontrutta, packed into “the Bob” for a week of flyfishing solitude on the south fork of the Flathead River.

Getting to the Bob was no simple task. First we endured a van ride on 60 miles of washboard gravel road along the east side of Hungry Horse reservoir to the Diamond R Guest Ranch. After a night at the ranch, locatd on a scenic stretch of the Spotted Bear River next to the Spotted Bear ranger station, we assembled at the Meadow Creek trailhead where we mounted up and rode horses 20 miles to the camp. The ride in was long (about 7 hours) and punishing on many parts of our tenderfoot bodies but the scenery was spectacular and well worth the saddle sores and trail dust.

Spotted Bear River at Diamond R Guest Ranch:

"The Bob" from horseback:

Our final destination, the South Fork of the Flathead River at the Salmon Forks Outfitters camp: