Welcome Creek Wilderness
The Welcome Creek Wilderness is located in the Rock Creek drainage 25 miles east of Missoula, Montana. This 28,135 acre Wilderness measures, approximately, nine miles by seven miles. The ridges are steep, the valleys narrow, and numerous talus slopes are found throughout the landscape. Most of this Wilderness is heavily forested with pine, fir and larch. South-facing areas have a few open, steep, and grassy slopes that provide winter range for deer and elk. Mountain lions, moose, black bears, and the occasional grizzly bear also wander through these mountains. Welcome Creek itself flows cold and clear providing habitat for native trout.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Montana |
| Size | 28,248 acres |
| Designated | 1978, by Congress |
| Center point | 46.60° N, 113.74° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 4 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
7 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 120 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Bitterroot-Rock Creek Divide ↗ | 84 | |
| Solomon Ridge ↗ | 9.6 | |
| Welcome Creek ↗ | 7.5 | |
| Sawmill Ridge ↗ | 6.4 | |
| Cinnamon Bear Ridge ↗ | 6.1 | |
| Welcome-Sawmill Saddle ↗ | 5.4 | |
| Cinnamon Bear Point | 1 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx D1 3-Mile Bravo
7 mi from the center point · 400 acres
- PrescribedRx D3 Ginny Mtn
19 mi from the center point · 10 acres
- PrescribedRx D3 Lower Blackfoot Corridor F4
23 mi from the center point · 101 acres
- PrescribedRx Mfd Morrison Peak
23 mi from the center point · 672 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 7.3 miRock Creek Guard Station (24gn165) ↗Philipsburg, MT
- 13.3 miCarlton Community Church ↗Florence, MT
- 14.1 miBitter Root Cooperative Creamery ↗Stevensville, MT
- 14.1 miCook, Wilbur, House ↗Stevensville, MT
- 14.1 miCochran, William, House ↗Stevensville, MT
- 14.1 miHarrington, Rose, House ↗Stevensville, MT
- 14.2 miMetcalf House ↗Stevensville, MT
- 14.2 miLockridge House ↗Stevensville, MT
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Montana
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Welcome Creek Wilderness?
28,248 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Welcome Creek Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Welcome Creek Wilderness in?
Montana.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Welcome Creek Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1978.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Welcome Creek Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Welcome Creek Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 46.603° N, 113.735° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Welcome Creek Wilderness right now?
4 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx D1 3-Mile Bravo at 7 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Welcome Creek Wilderness?
The National Register has 43 listings within 15 miles, including Rock Creek Guard Station (24gn165) and Carlton Community Church.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.