1963 Map of Beartrap Mountain

About this map

Kootenai National Forest dominates this mountain landscape, which was significantly altered by the creation of Lake Koocanusa. This 1963 survey, photorevised in 1983, documents the flooded canyon of the Kootenai River and the subsequent changes to the shoreline terrain. While high peaks like Beartrap Mountain and Helmer Mountain remain constant, the purple revision layers reveal the development of a Campground and the adjustment of local infrastructure around the new reservoir. The map traces a network of high-elevation trails, including a Pack Trail and Jeep Trail, that wind through drainage systems such as Pinkham Creek and Water Trough Draw. These routes provided access to small alpine bodies of water like Phills Lake and Rock Lake, reflecting the shift from early resource extraction, noted by a Gravel Pit, toward recreational and forest management use in the late twentieth century.