2025 Trip Openings and Bob Marshall Wilderness Trails Updates

Happy almost Spring!  We are looking forward to our 2025 season.  We wanted you to know about a few NEW trip opportunities as well as a few openings on existing trips.

Rocky Mountain Front Day Hikes – Check out or day -hike offerings with Naturalist Eric Bergman!     $150/person

Yeager Flats Saunter; July 5           Headquarters Pass to Our Lake; July 11
Ear Mtn. Climb; July 19                   Blackleaf Canyon; August 2
Volcano Reef; August 9

Other Trip Openings:

NOW 8 Days! The Wild Badger Divide Backpack: July 3 – 10

Originally a 10-day backpack we have shortened a few days to make it a little easier for folks to fit into their schedules.  The Badger-Two Medicine is a place of wonder.  It is not part of Glacier National Park or the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, but it is every bit (or more!) stunning, untamed and wild.

Circus Creek Rental — We are offering backpack-in rentals of our Circus Creek base camp.  $260/night for up to 4 people.

Circus Creek Drop Camp – Explore at your own pace.  We pack your gear in and out of our Circus Creek Backcountry Camp and supply a comfy camp.  $3940 for up to 4 people.

Guided Wilderness Archery Hunt  — September 22 – 27. Join us for a fair chase, fully guided archery hunt based out of our Comfortable backcountry camp at Circus Creek.  All you need to do is hunt – leave the rest up to us!  $3900 per person.

Archery Drop Camp – Archery drops start at $2400.

How are the trails in the Bob going to be this summer and will trips be
impacted?

We have fielded this question several times in the last month.  As many of you are aware, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex lost most of its Forest Service trail crew members in the February 14th layoff of probationary employees (this in their first year of permanent hire).

A rough estimate of losses is 35 – 40 trail crew members as well as many recreation staff employees who keep the woods clean and interface with the public.  The Bob and surrounding areas have approximately 5,000 miles of trail to maintain.

Last week, these trails workers were re-instated for 45 days after the Merit Systems Protection Board ruled that the roughly 6,000 USDA employees that lost their jobs may have been laid off illegally.  However, since most trail workers don’t start till May, this will have little effect in the short term.  It is unknown right now as to what the outcome of the legality finding will be and the timeline for a decision is mid-April.

So what does that mean for Dropstone trips?  A lot is up in the air.  We have started thinking of contingency plans if the FS workers don’t retain their jobs.  This would include a combination of working with the FS, a few non-profits and other outfitters to clear trails.  A few of our routes may be impacted but we are optimistic that we will be able to get trails passable this summer.  We will contact you directly as trail conditions are updated.

We are tremendously saddened by these layoffs – for the people who lost their jobs, for everyone that recreates in the Bob and most importantly to us, for the implications this has for the management of our public resource.  At this point, we encourage you to write/email/call your congressional delegates.  Also, if you are wanting to donate to a good cause (that also has a large sum of their annual budget locked up in the Federal Grant freeze), check out the Bob Marshall Wilderness Foundation.  They organize volunteer trail projects in the Bob and facilitate wilderness learning throughout the Complex.

Thank you for wanting to experience the Bob Marshall Wilderness – it is truly a special place.  We will keep you posted as we learn more.

Happy Trails,

Maggie & Yve