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1965 Map of Thunderbolt Mountain

Name: 1965 Topographic Map of Thunderbolt Mountain
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 1991
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 1991

About this map

Thunderbolt Mountain stands at the crest of a high ridgeline where Flathead Co and Lake County meet. This mid-1960s survey documents a wilderness landscape managed across three distinct jurisdictions: the Flathead National Forest, the Swan River State Forest, and the Bob Marshall Wilderness. Movement through this high-altitude terrain is defined by a network of historic routes including the Bunker Pack Trail and the Alpine Trail, which connect interior basins and peaks like Gildart Peak and Tranquil Mountain.

The hydrography of the region is characterized by steep drainage systems such as South Fork Lost Creek and Napa Creek, which feed into the Swan River. Remote alpine water bodies like Inspiration Lakes and Bunker Lake are tucked into the high cirques below Inspiration Pass. This map is particularly valuable for tracing the original paths of pack trails and the early boundaries of some of Montana's most protected wildlands before modern access changed the character of the backcountry.