Lost River Range: Pass Creek, Pine Creek, Wet Creek

This is from the WWP blog about a range inspection tour we went on back in early October on the Lost River Ranger District. That is in the Lost River Mountains. We looked at conditions at the end of the grazing season in Pass Creek, Pine Creek, and Wet Creek. The Forest Service district ranger (new to the area) came along with one of her range conservation officers.

Things did not look good.

I have been going to this scenic area since the late 1970s, and it was the worst I have seen it, probably due to the drought and heat this summer.

It is still scenic if you look at the mountain peaks and Pass Creek gorge, but you have to look down too.

This is potentially one of the nicest drives in the West (up Pass Creek and over the top down Wet Creek to the Little Lost River Valley), but the intensity of the grazing guarantees it isn’t. Then too on the Wet Creek side the private land has been fenced. They may be good in keeping public land grazers’ cows off private land, but the fence has eliminated the pronghorn that used to always be there, often racing and passing your vehicle.

Lost River Range: Pass Creek, Pine Creek, Wet Creek. From WWP blog.