Below the ridges are deep canyons covered with thick coniferous forest. Hidden low valleys are rich with old-growth cedar, fir, and larch, and extensive stands of subalpine spruce and fir can be found higher up. This vast wildland is one of the roughest mountain areas on earth, a country of high ridges dropping off into steep-walled canyons. The barren peaks don't hint at the dense forests below, where a number of streams and more than 100 lakes offer excellent trout fishing. Hardly any humans visit the huge trailless portions of this Wilderness, which makes it all the more appealing for the large Selway elk herd, plus deer, moose, black bears, and mountain lions.
Water is plentiful in lakes, bogs, and marshes.
The Wild and Scenic Selway River rushes out of the mountains of Idaho to join the Moose Creek drainages and the Middle Fork of the Selway. Many rafters ride the river, and at lower elevations in the Selway River Canyon you'll find the warmest temperatures year-round. But the weather varies like the terrain. Spring and fall bring rain lower down, while it is snowing higher up. Summer days are typically warm and dry with nighttime temperatures low enough to send you burrowing deep into your sleeping bag.