30 Great Places: Clearwater

Region: Northern RockiesActivity: FishingSpecies: Cutthroat trout Where: The Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forests encompass more than four million acres in north central Idaho. Three renowned white water rivers – the Selway, Lochsa and Salmon – course through the mountainous terrain. Many of the region’s streams hold healthy populations of westslope cutthroat. Why: Excellent top-water angling for

30 Great Places: Browns Canyon

Region: Southern RockiesActivities: Fishing; Hunting; RaftingSpecies: Brown, rainbow and cutthroat trout; bighorn sheep; elk; mule deer Where: Browns Canyon National Monument rests in south central Colorado, between the communities of Buena Vista and Salida in Chaffee County. Its 21,586 acres encompass rugged lands along the upper Arkansas River; here, spectacular granite walls rise from the

Helping one another to help the fish

By Chris Wood When it comes to the recovery of imperiled salmon and steelhead, Idaho leads the way. The Idaho Statesman was the first daily newspaper to call for the removal of the four lower Snake River dams in 1997. The late Governor, Cecil Andrus was one of the most articulate voices for recovery of

STREAM Girls volunteers get their feet wet

By Tara Granke Trout Unlimited is ready to shatter stereotypes and break boundaries. In early September, TU’s Headwaters Youth Program partnered with the Girl Scouts of Western Washington to hold the first-ever Train-the-Trainer for an outdoor STEM education experience designed for middle-school aged Scouts called STREAM Girls. At this training, TU’s Youth Education and Diversity/Women’s

Voices from the River: Goodbye Gibbon River brook trout

By Chris Hunt I first fished the upper Gibbon River some 20 years ago. In its quiet, high reaches above Virginia Cascades, it is perhaps the prettiest stretch of meadow stream in all of Yellowstone. It snakes, cold and deep, through a picturesque mountain valley below a couple of high-country lakes that source it. Its

30 Great Places: Ninemile Valley

Region: Northern RockiesActivities: Hiking, Sightseeing, FishingSpecies: Rainbow, brook and cutthroat trout Where: Ninemile Valley is 20 miles west of Missoula, in west central Montana. The valley bottom consists mostly of private property; the upper lands are part of the Lolo National Forest. Ninemile Creek is a major tributary of the Clark Fork, Montana’s largest river.