In 2024, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation, in partnership with Hungry Horse Ranger District, formed the Great Bear Trail Posse to address trail maintenance needs in the Great Bear Panhandle. 

The Trail Posse is a group of able bodied citizens who enjoy Wilderness and want to help out, but want to do it on their own time. Perhaps you have a day off and have already hiked your favorite peaks of the summer. Maybe you want to ski up Essex this winter and wish the brush on the trail was not so thick. Perhaps you just want a new way to spend the day outdoors and have a positive impact on your local trails. 

The Great Bear Wilderness is roughly 287,000 acres that include about 300 miles of trail. Hungry Horse Ranger District has 3-5 trail crew members per season that maintain these trails. With help from partners like BMWF, MCC and BCH they are able to clear most of them, but there are still many that need work. And with so much trail to clear, the crews don't have the time to brush the trail corridors. That's where the Great Bear Trail Posse (YOU) comes in!

As part of the Great Bear Trail Posse, you will:

  • Register to be covered as an official Forest Service volunteer for the summer, to maintain trails on your own schedule

  • Have access to a tool box of loppers, hand saws and other equipment to check out any time you like

  • Learn how to fill out and submit a USFS trail scouting and/or solitude monitoring report, for hikes without tools

We hope you will join us in our second season of the Great Bear Trail Posse! Come alone or bring some friends. All are welcome!  

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To join the Posse:

  • Fill out the online registration form.

  • Attend a 1/2 day training to learn tool safety, trail maintenance expectations and policies.

    • Trainings will be held once we have 4 or more people registered for training, typically one in Spring and one in Fall.

    • 2025 Spring training date is FRIDAY, JUNE 13th in Hungry Horse, Montana. Complete the registration form to sign up and receive more information for the day.

  • After attending the training, check out the tools any time you like and spend a few hours, days or weeks doing your own trail maintenance when it works for your schedule. Or, take a hike without tools and submit a trail scouting or solitude monitoring report.

  • Drop the tool box off when you're done and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

  • Can't make the training, but still want to join the Posse? Let us know and we can work something out! Contact Rebecca at (406) 387-3808 or rpowell@bmwf.org

Already a Posse Member?

  • Want to clear some trail and need to check out tools? Contact Rebecca Powell (rpowell@bmwf.org) and let her know. She will have them ready for you at the Hungry Horse Ranger Station.

  • Have you done some trail work? AWESOME! Fill out this accomplishment form so we can inform the Forest Service and give you kudos!

  • Looking for inspiration on where to go work? Follow this link to a list of trails that have not been cleared this season.

  • Did some scouting? Fill out this form to let us know what’s out there.

Have questions? We're happy to answer them! Give Rebecca a call at (406) 387-3808 or email at rpowell@bmwf.org.