Summer days are typically warm and dry with nighttime temperatures low enough to drive you deep into your sleeping bag. You should go prepared for avalanches in winter. In the high country in summer, mosquitoes and biting flies are usual campsite companions. Rattlesnakes and black bears are common, and grizzly bears still roam the Selway-Bitterroot, although not in great numbers. Hunters are attracted to substantial populations of elk, deer, mountain lion and grouse.
Special permits allow hunting of moose and bighorn sheep.
Trout fishing can be excellent in well over 100 mountain lakes. By late July, the wildflowers above 5,000 feet bloom in colorful profusion, attracting many photographers. Although 319 runs only approximately 10 miles, the road is steep and the drive is slow. Three primitive airfields may be used at Moose, Fish Lake and Shearer, all in the heart of the Wilderness. A Wilderness map is available for three dollars from any local forest ranger.