In Idaho, BLM manages nearly 25,000 acres of public lands (with nearly 15,000 acres recommended for wilderness designation) in the Eighteenmile Wilderness Study Area (WSA) of north-central Idaho. The landscape is remote, rugged and mountainous – moving from foothills to grassy meadows to the steep cliffs along the Continental Divide. The vegetation here varies from sagebrush-grass communities at lower elevations to forests of Douglas fir and lodgepole pine at the higher elevations. While the WSA is closed to all motorized use, this is a popular area for non-motorized big game hunting in the fall. Visitors also enjoy excellent opportunities for solitude and for hiking, sight-seeing, backpacking, rockhounding and wildlife viewing. The area is generally not available December through May because surrounding access roads are closed due to snow. Before visiting this area, please contact the Salmon Field Office for maps and information regarding access.

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