Loading map...

1958 Map of Crescent Cliff

Name: 1958 Topographic Map of Crescent Cliff
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1960
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1960

About this map

The Continental Divide snake through this high-altitude landscape where the Pondera and Flathead county line meets the boundary between the Lewis and Clark National Forest and Flathead National Forest. This 1958 survey captures a purely wilderness environment, devoid of permanent settlements or modern roads, defined instead by the steep relief of Crescent Cliff and peaks like Running Crane Mountain and Big Lodge Mountain.

Access is limited to primitive routes such as the Kip Pack Trail and Lodgepole Pack Trail, which follow the drainage basins of North Badger Creek and Lee Creek. These trails provide a rare look at the backcountry infrastructure used by forest rangers and early recreationists before motorized access became widespread. The map's detail shows a complex network of unnamed ridge lines and steep gulches, including Trapper Gulch, where snowmelt feeds the headwaters of the regional river systems.