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 Spring is a time of flowers blooming, streams running high, and varied thrush
making announcements from the tops of the tallest trees. It is a time when people are
wondering what to do with the extra hours of daylight.Spring is usually the best time for viewing and photographing wildlife in Lincoln County. Bighorn mountain sheep are often visible on the south slopes of Berray Mountain in the Bull River Valley, in addition to the Kootenai Falls herd and a smaller group along Koocanusa Reservoir near Sheep Creek. Deer and elk can be seen in the spring in these same areas, as well as other areas. |
 To the
fisherman Spring means ice is soft and unsafe on lakes, and the big river is perhaps the
only place to fish, even though insect hatches have not really begun. In many tributaries
the spawning runs begin now, and the gravels of streams feeding the two rivers and
reservoirs serve as important resources. Most streams and lakes of the Kootenai National
Forest harbor fish, usually trout, and seasons and regulations for fishing them are set by
the State Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks.Usually the first lakes to be ice free for recreation use are those low elevation areas such as Thompson Lakes, Bull Lake , and a few others. |
 The
high lakes and indeed most of the high country, are snow and ice covered until late
spring. Often the hardy cross country skier can be skiing the high basins of the Cabinet
Mountains and the Ten Lakes and Northwest Peak Scenic Areas through sunny days in May
while gardens are being planted in the valleys..Down in the valley bottoms, hungry bears are searching for new grasses, and those birds and mammals that have spent the winter in the area are now regaining energy lost in winter's cold and snow This is a critical time for deer and elk, for they need an abundance of food, and the quest for it often carries them down near man where they are vulnerable to man-caused stress such as off road vehicles and dogs. |
 With the
exception of low elevation southern exposures, most winters there is a blanket of snow
nearly every where. As this snow melts and the ground beneath thaws, movement begins. Not
only surface water moves, but soils, rocks, and the very trees themselves. During this
spring "breakup" driving on many of the soft native-surface roads can cause
considerable damage to the road.As snow banks disappear and long
days of sunshine begin warming the soil, the valley bottoms and the lower slopes come
alive with a variety of wild flowers and the wonderful morel mushrooms. |
Other sites you might enjoy: |
Usually the first flowers are the buttercups of field and open
woods, followed closely by glacier lilies, bloodroot and shooting stars. After these first
early blossoms, a continuous progression of colorful flowers offers itself to the
photographer and traveler in Forest valleys. Picking these flowers is lawful on most
Forest lands; however, many species will be less numerous the next season if picked. Morel
mushrooms may be picked via paid permit from the U.S. Forest Service.