Charles Waters Campground
The Bitterroot National Forest has a special little campground called Charles Waters campground. South of Missoula, MT. This campground, once the outdoor laboratory for Dr. Charles Waters research
on the life history and control of forest tree diseases, consists of a spur next to a large grass meadow and a loop passing through a pleasant blend of deciduous and conifer trees. Some sites are adjacent to Bass Creek, while others especially along the spur, have views of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. One campsite is dedicated to bicycle campers. Because of the excellent hiking and day trip opportunities (Missoula for one), this is an excellent destination campground.
For great views of of Bitterroot Valley, Sawtooth Mountain, and Bass Creek Canyon, take Forest Rt. 1136 (turn left when exiting campground) for about 7 miles to the “overlook.” (Turn left at “T” intersection, about 1.6 miles from start.) The road is dirt, single-lane and winds its way up the mountainside to 6,100 ft. The drive up takes one through a variety of trees from aspen and Ponderosa pine to Lodgepole pine and Western larch. Take a picnic lunch and enjoy the viewing surprises at the “overlook.”
A special treat is the Bass Creek trail with its many wildflowers and tumbling creek.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 11th, 2011 at 4:50 am and is filed under campgrounds, campgrounds I like, National Forest, photographs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
