Mission Mountains Wilderness
Mission Mountains Wilderness is a 74,524-acre wilderness area in Missoula County, Montana. It rises from about 4,333 to 9,345 ft. The nearest town is Kicking Horse, 5.2 miles away in a straight line.
Mission Mountains Wilderness map
Mission Mountains Wilderness boundary from USGS PAD-US or the managing agency, simplified for display. Not for navigation or legal boundaries.
Fire restrictions
Agency fire restriction orders for this unit are not tracked here yet. Restrictions change with the season, so check the current orders before any campfire, stove or target shooting.
County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.
Common questions
- Camping in Mission Mountains Wilderness is limited to 14 days.
- Kicking Horse, MT is the nearest town, 5.2 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance).
- The highest ground in Mission Mountains Wilderness is about 9,345 ft, and its lowest about 4,333 ft (USGS 3DEP elevation model). Its highest named summit is Daughter of the Sun Mountain, about 8,711 ft.
Who manages Mission Mountains Wilderness
| Agency | Acres | Permit | Group size | Stay limit | Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Service | 74,524 | Not on record | Not on record | 14 days | Swan Lake Ranger District, 406-837-7500 |
Getting to Mission Mountains Wilderness
- Kicking Horse, MT is the nearest town, 5.2 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-30)
Trailheads at Mission Mountains Wilderness
- Glacier Lake Trailhead (0.01 mi outside the boundary, 4,842 ft), at 47.3813, -113.7929
- Fatty Creek (0.08 mi outside the boundary, 5,436 ft), at 47.6878, -113.9234
- Cold Lakes Trailhead (0.23 mi outside the boundary, 5,102 ft), at 47.5602, -113.8556
- Lower Crystal Lake Trailhead (0.48 mi outside the boundary, 5,062 ft), at 47.3339, -113.7299 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
- Crystal Lake Trailhead N (0.53 mi outside the boundary, 5,731 ft), at 47.3540, -113.7611
Trailhead locations: Forest Service recreation sites layer , accessed 2026-09-30. Elevations from USGS 3DEP.
Trailheads mapped on OpenStreetMap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License , accessed 2026-09-30. The extract used here, with distances from the boundary: osm-trailheads-mt.json. Where an agency layer lists the same trailhead, the agency's point is shown instead.
Named summits, canyons, and springs in Mission Mountains Wilderness
- Daughter of the Sun Mountain summit
- Mount Shoemaker summit
- High Park Peak summit
- Giant Spring spring
- Beanhole Lake lake
Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-30. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.
Public lands next to Mission Mountains Wilderness
- National forestMission Mountains Wilderness lies inside Flathead National Forest.
- National forestMission Mountains Wilderness borders Lolo National Forest.
Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.
Other wilderness areas in Montana
- wilderness.net (accessed 2026-09-30)
- prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com (accessed 2026-09-30)
- prd-tnm.s3.amazonaws.com (accessed 2026-09-30)
- www2.census.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- apps.fs.usda.gov (accessed 2026-09-30)
- openstreetmap.org (accessed 2026-09-30)
The sentences on this page are generated by software from the sourced records above, not written by hand. How this content is made.