USDA Forest Service Celebrating Wildflowers

Northern Region

A whitebark pine stand in the Elkhorn Lake proposed Research Natural Area on the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest.

View from the Maah Daah Hey Trail overlooking the Little Missouri River. Dakota Prairie Grasslands.

The National Forest lands in the Northern Region encompass 25 million acres in five states. Included are 12 national forests located in northeastern Washington, northern Idaho, and Montana; and a national grassland in North Dakota and northwestern South Dakota.

The Region's expansive landscape features a vast array of native species in very diverse ecosystems. The regional boundaries extend from the tall grass prairies of the Dakotas, through sagebrush communities and high-elevation whitebark pine forests in Montana, to old-growth Douglas-fir, cedar and hemlock forests of northern Idaho.

The Northern Region also hosts 16 congressionally-designated wilderness areas, six National Wild and Scenic Rivers, the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail, over 2,500 miles of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, and much more. The Region's unique wild areas truly offer countless adventures to experience the solitude, spirit and beauty of the American west.

Wildflower Viewing Areas for the Northern Region

Viewing Area	National Forest or Grassland	Region	State
Gravelly Range	Beaverhead-Deerlodge	Northern	Montana
Vipond Park	Beaverhead-Deerlodge	Northern	Montana
Porcupine Saddle	Bitterroot	Northern	Montana
Willoughby Environmental Education Area	Bitterroot	Northern	Montana
Musselshell Meadow	Clearwater	Northern	Idaho
Jimmy Joe Campground and Beaver Pond	Custer	Northern	Montana
Biesterfeld Allotment and Hay Meadow	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	Northern	North Dakota
Buffalo Gap Campground	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	Northern	North Dakota
Maah Daah Hey Trail/CCC Campground	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	Northern	North Dakota
Pasture 9	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	Northern	South Dakota
Sheyenne National Grassland	Dakota Prairie Grasslands	Northern	North Dakota
Lake Mountain	Flathead	Northern	Montana
Red Canyon/Cabin Creek Divide	Gallatin	Northern	Montana
West Pine / Dry Creek Ridge	Gallatin	Northern	Montana
Elkhorn Wildlife Management Unit	Helena	Northern	Montana
Granite Falls Trail 301	Idaho Panhandle	Northern	Idaho
Lost Lake and Mineral Point Trails	Idaho Panhandle	Northern	Idaho
Flagstaff Mountain Trail #43	Kootenai	Northern	Montana
Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center	Lewis and Clark	Northern	Montana
Clearwater Canoe Trail	Lolo	Northern	Montana
Morrell Falls Trail	Lolo	Northern	Montana
Seven Devils Mountains, Heaven's Gate	Wallowa-Whitman	Northern	Idaho

Wildflower Photographs

British Columbia wildginger (Asarum caudatum). Idaho Panhandle National Forest. Photo by Gerald Carr.

Barr's milkvetch (Astragalus barrii). Custer National Forest. Photo by J. Locklear, Center for Plant Conservation.

Arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata). Lolo National Forest. Photo by Gary A. Monroe.

Little prince's pine (Chimaphila menziesii). Flathead National Forest. Photo by Margaret Williams.

Lanceleaf springbeauty (Claytonia lanceolata). Gallatin National Forest. Photo by Gary A. Monroe.

Blacksamson echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia). Dakota Prairie National Grasslands. Photo by Larry Allain.

Sulphur-flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum). Helena National Forest. Photo by Brother Alfred Brousseau, College of St. Mary's, CA.

Bitter root (Lewisia rediviva). Bitterroot National Forest. Photo by Gary A. Monroe.

False lupine (Thermopolis montana). Kootenai National Forest. Photo by Nan Vance.

Pacific trillium (Trillium ovatum). Kootenai National Forest. Photo by Margaret Williams.

U.S. Forest Service
Rangeland Management
Botany Program
1400 Independence Ave., SW, Mailstop Code: 1103
Washington DC 20250-1103

Location: http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/northern/index.php
Last modified: March 05, 2012