Bob Marshall Wilderness, Nature reserve in Western Montana, United States
Bob Marshall Wilderness is a protected area in western Montana that follows the Continental Divide through mountain ranges and valleys rising from 4,000 to 9,000 feet. The reserve spans six counties and covers roughly 1.5 million acres of forest, meadows, and ridgelines without roads or permanent structures.
Several smaller primitive areas joined together in 1940 to form a single protected zone. The Wilderness Act of 1964 gave the territory its formal status and protection from road building or commercial development.
Locals and Forest Service staff call the area "The Bob". Its name honours Bob Marshall (1901–1939), a Forest Service forester and co-founder of The Wilderness Society who pushed through roadless-area regulations in the 1930s. The five ranger districts keep 1,856 miles of trail open to foot and stock use only, so horses remain a normal way to travel here.
The five ranger districts manage 1,856 miles (2,987 km) of trail, open to foot and stock use only; motorized and mechanical equipment, including bicycles, is barred. Entry points on the west lie near Swan Lake, Seeley Lake, Lincoln and Hungry Horse, on the east near Augusta, Choteau and Dupuyer. Camping is allowed and fishing needs a Montana state license; hunting is permitted in season.
The Chinese Wall is a long escarpment averaging 1,000 feet (300 m) high from its base and running 22 miles (35 km) along the Continental Divide. It lies within a wilderness whose five ranger districts manage 1,856 miles (2,987 km) of trail open only to foot and stock use.
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