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Hi All!

I'm wondering if anyone has any good ideas for a late May (Memorial Day weekend) 4-day backpacking trip within a 6-8 hour drive of Missoula, MT. I've heard great things about the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, and obviously the Rattlesnake Recreation Area is an option. We'd love to get off the beaten path, but I'm a bit worried about snow and road conditions. Does anything come to mind immediately?

Thanks!

6-8 hours of driving will put you into the heart of Idaho's mountains. The high elevations will still have snow but by Memorial Day most of our back country roads are open. As for mountain ranges, the Frank Church Wilderness area, the Sawtooth, Lost River, Lemhi, and Boulders are all less than 8 hours from Missoula.

Bob

The Selway River Trail from the bottom up might be a good option. The potential problem is that at high water some sections of those river trails can be in the river, so you'd want to keep an eye on water levels and check with the Forest Service. This early in the year, it's hard to make a loop out of it without encountering snow, so you'd probably be going upriver then back the same way. But it's a beautiful low elevation trail with lots of gorgeous forest, creeks and water, and maybe some massive rapids to look at if you go as far up as Moose Creek.