Steep walls and sheer cliffs line both sides of this text book example of a box canyon. The only way out is to follow the Boulder for another 20 miles to where it emerges from the canyon near Big Timber, MT and joins the Yellowstone River. What really captured my interest about this densely treed valley, however, aside from its great beauty and wild feeling, is the fact that it is completely unburned. It escaped entirely the conflagrations of 1988 that turned Yellowstone and many neighboring areas black. The forest is now almost too thick to navigate off trail.
Huge downfall covers the ground.
Aside from a few minor fires over the years, this drainage has not seen a real burn in a very long time. This can only mean that sometime soon, in a dry year when the right conditions come together, a fire of unimaginable intensity is almost certain here. Unfortunately the valley is filled with many summer homes and at least four bible camps, so aside from the natural effects of a large fire, there could be a very real human impact. Escape out the narrow road during a full blaze would be impossible. According to a local guy we met, the Forest Service is definitely worried about this time bomb.