Wildflowers of the Kootenai National Forest in Northwest Montana

The wildflowers in northwestern Montana are just starting to bloom. These are some of the first few we’ve seen along the trails.

I’ve never seen these pretty red-orange wildflowers before. I forgot to bring my wildflower identification book w

What a pretty bunch of tiny white flowers along the trail to the site of the Pinto Mountain Fire Lookout in Kootenai National Forest!

This is the first warm/hot week in northern Montana this summer, so I hope to see lots more wildflowers popping up before we go home.

I don’t know what this crazy plant is! Maybe a mushroom or something? I love the texture and shape it has. I’m going to have to do some more research on this little guy to find out more about it.

Kootenai National Forest, Montana: Webb Mountain Fire Lookout on the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail

Matt and I are spending our summer vacation in northwest Montana’s Kootenai National Forest along the Pacific Northwest National Scenic Trail.

We spent four nights at Webb Mountain Fire Lookout above Lake Koocanusa. It was stormy and cold when we arrived, and the dramatic scene complete with this huge, vibrant rainbow won us over immediately.

The rest of our time at the Webb Mountain Fire Lookout had spectacular weather. We had 360° views (as you would expect from a fire lookout). We were surprised that the sunrise was around 5:30am and sunset was about 9:45. It stayed light out long past then, only starting to really get dark around 11pm. Then we were graced by a huge full moon that kept the skies lit all night long!

Boulder Mountain and Boulder Lakes are near the lookout. We hiked to a ridge above the lake to get a good view. The photographer is at work in the foreground.