1991 Map of Bare Cone

About this map

Bitterroot National Forest defines the landscape of this Montana-Idaho border region, where historic travel ways and high-altitude lookouts anchor the terrain. The presence of the Old Nez Perce Trail (Pack) Route and the South Return Route indicates a corridor of movement across the divide that pre-dates modern infrastructure. High peaks like Bare Cone, which features the Bare Cone Lookout Tower, provided essential fire-watch vantage points overlooking the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness. The drainage system is intricate, characterized by the Nez Perce Fork and Blue Joint Creek, which cut through deep ridges such as Coal Ridge and Razorback Mountain. This map documents a wilderness at the end of the 20th century, where pack trails like the Rock Creek Trail (Pack) remain the primary means of navigating the backcountry.