GOSPEL-HUMP

WILDERNESS

United States

Department of

Agriculture

Forest

Service NEZ PERCE NATIONAL FOREST

A guide

to wilderness

recreation opportunities
In 1978, Congress recognized

206,053 acres of undeveloped

federal land east of Riggins, Idaho,

and north of the main Salmon River

as a special area and designated it the

Gospel-Hump Wilderness. Since

then, the area has been managed to

preserve its natural condition and to

provide opportunities for primitive

and unconfined types of recreation.

Elevations in the Gospel-Hump

Wilderness range from 1,970 feet at

the Wind River pack bridge on the

Salmon River to 8,940 feet at the

summit of Buffalo Hump.

The northern part of the Wilderness is moist and heavily forested;

the southern part is dry and sparsely

vegetated. The two parts are separated by a rugged, glaciated divide

which contains the peaks for which

the wilderness is named.

Climate

Temperatures vary with the

elevation. Summer afternoon

temperatures along the Salmon

River often exceed 100 degrees, but

frosty mornings are possible even in

midsummer in the high country.

Roads and trails are usually free of

snow from mid-July through midOctober, although snow squalls can

occur at any time.

Temperatures can change dramatically within a few hours. Be

prepared for all kinds of weather.

The streams and lakes within and

adjacent to the Wilderness support

many kinds of fish. The Salmon

River is a travelway for migrating

sockeye salmon. The river and

many tributaries contain spawning

and rearing habitat for steelhead and

chinook salmon. In addition to these

ocean-going species, several resident

trout species are present. Sturgeon,

whitefish and smallmouth bass are

less common.

Big game species like elk, mule

and whitetail deer, black bear,

cougar, moose, mountain goat and

mountain sheep live within the

Wilderness. Chukar, grouse and

other game birds inhabit the area.

Squirrels, songbirds and other

nongame wildlife species can

frequently be seen or heard.

For information about hunting and

fishing seasons and regulations, visit

any vendor of Idaho hunting and

fishing licenses.

Gospel-Hump Wilderness

Fish and Game

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Gospel-Hump Wilderness Access Map

Roads and Trails

Several unpaved roads provide

access to the Gospel-Hump Wilderness during the summer months.

●Forest Roads 444 and 444A from Forest

Road 221.

●Salmon River Road 1614 and Slate

Creek Road 354 from Highway 95.

●Sourdough Road 492, Orogrande Road

233 from Highway 14.

●Orogrande to Orogrande Summit - "not

suitable for trailer towing."

●Orogrande Summit to Lake Creek - "Jeep

road not maintained for travel."

●Dixie Road 311 from Dixie

These roads are shown on the

Forest Visitor Map available at the

Nez Perce National Forest headquarters and district offices.

Trails both within and adjacent to

the Wilderness are shown on the

Forest Visitor Map. Although many

miles of trails are maintained

annually, some may be impassable,

extremely challenging or unsuitable

for pack stock. Check with a

district office for specific details.

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The Nez Perce Indian culture

dates back to 6,000 BC in central

Idaho. The Gospel Peak and

Buffalo Hump areas were used by

the Nez Perce Indians long before

the arrival of settlers. As part of

their seasonal subsistence rounds,

they hunted elk, deer and bear, and

used game trails to access the

Salmon River for fishing.

Placer gold was discovered at

Florence, just outside the Wilderness, in 1861. These deposits, while

rich, were soon depleted. In 1898,

an extensive quartz vein was

discovered at the base of Buffalo

Hump. The discovery touched off

one of the last major gold rushes in

the western United States. Thousands of prospectors moved in, and

two wagon roads were built so

supplies could be moved.

The mining boom subsided in

1903 only to be revived during the

Depression. Remnants of placer

mines, diggings, and abandoned

boom towns are still evident.

Prospecting and mining continue

today outside the Wilderness.

The Wilderness Legacy

"...man himself is a visitor who

does not remain." This key

passage from the Wilderness Act of

1964 leaves little doubt about

human occupancy in a wilderness.

Law or administrative regulations

alone, however, cannot fully protect

a wilderness.

Only you can.

On the following pages are some

hints about how you can reduce

your impacts on the Gospel-Hump

Wilderness. Adopt these hints during

your visit, and be guided by this

simple question:

"Will others know I have passed

this way?"

Cultural Heritage

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Photo by Dean Geouge
Special Regulations

●There is a 14-day limit on

camping or storing equipment

and supplies at a site. A site is

defined as any location and the

surrounding five mile area.

●Travel is permitted only by foot

or by stock.

●Group size is restricted to 20

people and 20 head of stock.

●Use of wheeled vehicles and

motorized equipment is prohibited. Campfires

To help preserve the Wilderness,

use a lightweight stove. If you must

build a campfire, please:

●Use an existing fire ring if possible.

If not, scrape down to bare soil,

and then dig a small hole for the

fire.

●Burn only down, dead wood and

burn only what you need.

●Attend your campfire at all times.

Be particularly careful during dry

conditions.

●Make certain your fire is dead out

before naturalizing your campsite.

●Gather up cool ashes and scatter

them away from the campsite.

●Pack out aluminum foil, snap tabs,

cigarette butts, twist ties and other

nonburnable trash.

●Replace the duff or sod over the

fire hole, and thus restore it to

near-natural condition.

Campsite Selection

To reduce camp impacts:

●Select a campsite 200 feet or more

from water. Meadows

streambanks and lakeshores are

very fragile.

●Pitch camp 200 feet or more from

other campers. Respect the

solitude of others.

●Use an existing campsite if possible, but avoid sites that show

evidence of heavy use.

●Resist the temptation to dig

trenches or construct anything.

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Sanitation

Human waste and waste water

threaten the delicate balance

maintained in wilderness. Please

follow these guidelines:

●Dispose of human waste, toilet

paper and waste water at least 200

feet from water and where rain

and snow runoff will not carry the

contaminants to lakes and streams.

●Bury human waste in a hole 6 to

8 inches deep. Let nature do the

rest.

●Wash dishes with biodegradable,

non-phosphate soap in a dishpan

or other suitable container. Dispose of soapy water well away

from fresh water.

●Bathe well away from lakes and

streams if soap is used.

●Hikers should yield to stock

traffic. Stand on the downhill side

of the trail whenever possible.

●Both hikers and stock should stay

on the trail instead of cutting

across switchbacks, which causes

erosion.

Stock Use

To minimize impacts from the use

of pack and riding stock:

●Carry as little equipment as

possible to reduce the number of

pack animals needed.

●Hobble, picket or highline

stock overnight. Avoid tying

stock to trees or near tree

roots for long periods of time.

●Use certified weed-free feed.

A ration of 12 to 18 pounds of

pellets per head per day is

sufficient for most stock.

Trail Courtesy

Hikers and stock use many of the

same trails:

●Stock should be kept in a single file

to avoid creating multiple parallel

trails.

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●At rest stops, stock should be tied

well off the trail with a highline or

tree-saver straps.
Poison

Ivy

Permits

Permits are not required for either

backpackers or persons with stock.

A permit is required if you plan to

float, jetboat or kayak the Salmon

River from June 20th to September 7th.

For more information, contact:

District Ranger

North Fork Ranger Station

North Fork, ID 83466

(208) 865-2382

Salmon River Ranger District

HC 01, Box 70

White Bird, ID 83554

(208) 839-2211/TTY (208) 839-2328

Beware!

Poison ivy, rattlesnakes and black

bears are common along the Salmon

River and the lower reaches of its

tributaries. Ticks can be particularly

abundant during the spring months

and may carry Rocky Mountain

spotted fever. Mosquitoes, biting

flies and no-see-um gnats can also

make life miserable. Carry repellent.

Some surface water in the GospelHump Wilderness may contain

microbes which can cause intestinal

disorders. All drinking water should

be treated. Chemical treatments such

as iodine or chlorine are not wholly

reliable. To be sure, use a water

filter or boil the water for at least 3

minutes.

For short trips, bring a supply of

water that is known to be safe. 7

Black

Bear

Maps

Gospel-Hump Wilderness maps

are available at Forest Service

offices.

Detailed topographic maps of the

Gospel-Hump Wilderness are

available. Fifteen maps are needed

for complete coverage. The maps

can be obtained from:

 US Geological Survey

 Box 25286, Denver Federal Ctr

 Denver, CO 80225

Several regional bookstores also

stock these USGS "quad" maps.
R1-03-05

Salmon River Ranger District

HC 01, Box 70

White Bird, ID 83554

(208) 839-2211

TTY (208) 839-2328

FAX (208) 839-2730

Red River Ranger District

Box 416

Elk City, ID 83525

(208) 842-2245

FAX (208) 842-2150

Nez Perce National Forest

Headquarters

Route 2, Box 475

Grangeville, ID 83530

(208) 983-1950

TTY (208) 983-2280

FAX (208) 983-4099

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Cover Photo by

Jenny Stephenson

The United States

Department of

Agriculture (USDA)

prohibits discrimination

on the basis of race,

color, national origin,

sex, religion, age,

disability, political

belief and marital or

familial status. Persons

with disabilities who

require alternative

means of communication

of program information

should contact the

USDA's Target Center at

(202)720-2600 (voice

and TDD). To file a

complaint, write the

Secretary, USDA,

Washington, DC 20250,

or call (800)245-6340

(voice), or (202)720-

1127 (TDD). USDA is an

equal opportunity

employer.

 WEBSITE:

 www.fs.fed.us/r1/nezperce