2020 Map of Painted Rocks Lake

About this map

Bitterroot National Forest dominates this mountain landscape, defined by the sharp vertical relief of the Bitterroot Range. The central focus is Painted Rocks Lake, a reservoir created on the West Fork Bitterroot River, where Blue Joint Bay and the mouth of Slate Creek shape the shoreline. High ridgelines and summits such as Jew Mountain, West Mountain, and Lookout Mountain provide a glimpse into the topographical barriers that historical travelers and foresters navigated. Access into the drainage is marked by numerous saddles, including Took Ridge Saddle and Mud Creek Saddle. The mapping of named drainages like Fourth of July Gulch and Little Blue Joint Creek illustrates the intricate watershed system feeding the West Fork. A network of forest roads, such as Overwhich Road and Coal Creek Road, snakes through the valleys and over ridges like Razorback Ridge, tracing the routes used for contemporary timber management and recreation in this remote Montana wilderness.