Bass Creek Area to Reopen for Recreation November 1

The popular Bass Creek recreation area will be reopened to the public on Friday, November 1, by the Stevensville Ranger District. The area has been closed since May for tree thinning operations.

"The area has been closed all summer for an ongoing logging operation," said Bitterroot National Forest spokesman Tod McKay. "Pyramid Mountain Lumber in Seeley Lake has been doing a 765 acre thinning project, clearing out excess trees to protect those big, beautiful Ponderosa pine trees from mountain pine beetles."

McKay said Bass Creek and other developed recreation areas are off-limits to hunters and trappers.

"Hikers, horseback riders, mountain bikers and others can enjoy the Bass Creek area without having to worry about hunters and shooting," McKay said. "It's also a trap-free area. In wintertime, folks with dogs who want to recreate in an area where it's safe to take their animals, [can do so in Bass Creek]. It's nice to know Bass Creek is trap-free."

The Bass Creek area is visited by more than 50,000 people a year.