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Valley of the Moon Trailhead.
General information.
Region: Region 2--West Central.
Dominant Setting: mountain, prairie/plains, forest, river/stream, rock formations.
Location: Rock Creek Recreation Area, about two miles south of Interstate 90.
Manager: USDA Forest Service.
Amenities: accessible bathrooms, pit toilets, parking.
Pets are allowed (on leash).
Available Activities.
Accessible activities: hiking, learning, picnicking, nature viewing.
Non-accessible activities: fishing.
Accessible hiking information.
Trail name: Valley of the Moon Trail.
Type of trail: loop trail.
Trail surface: gravel, dirt, surface is firm, surface is stable.
Trail dimensions: minimum clear tread width of 36 inches, maximum running slope of 9 degrees, maximum cross slope of 7 degrees, there are tread obstacles, maximum tread obstacle height is 1 inches, there is edge protection along part of the trail, minimum edge protection height is 3.5 inches.
Length: up to 0.25 mile.
Other trail features: benches, some benches have back support, boardwalks and/or bridges.
Accessible educational opportunities.
Site name: Valley of the Moon Trail.
Type of educational opportunity: interpretive trail, interpretive sign.
Accessible picnicking information.
Site name: Valley of the Moon Trail.
Estimated number of accessible picnic tables: 2.
Picnic table information: fixed picnic tables, along accessible routes, picnic tables have wheelchair seating spaces.
Other features: none.
Accessible nature viewing information.
Site name: Valley of the Moon Trail.
Features: established viewpoints, the viewpoints offer a clear view of the attraction between 32 to 51 inches from the ground.
There is a good chance of seeing: waterfowl, birds, small mammals, large mammals, amphibians, reptiles.
Location pictures.
1: Picture 1--Trailhead showing a wide gravel path and an informational sign in the background.
2: Picture 2--A nice rock formation that is visible from the parking lot.
3: Picture 3--The portion of the trail that passes through a meadow. Grass can be seen leaning into the path, and the path surface consists of mowed grass.
4: Picture 4--Most of the interpretive signs are accessible. There are a few that are not accessible such as this one shown in the photo.
5: Picture 5--One of two accessible picnic tables found along the interpretive trail. This one is about 350' from the parking area.
6: Picture 6--Boardwalks make up a large portion of the trail.
Additional information about this location.
1: Part of this trail passes through a meadow area where tall grass may lean into the access route. In this area, the path changes from gravel to mowed grass growing up through potentially soft and unstable dirt. About half of the trail outside of the meadow area is made up of board walks. All board walks have 3.5 inch edge protection. One interpretive sign, located at the end of a short spur trail, is inaccessible because of a soft, loose, and uneven access route.
User comments about this location.
1: On Tuesday, August 19, 2008, a guest wrote:
At the far end of the trail a tree has fallen and blocked the trail and one picnic table. The trail appeared to be well maintained otherwise, so this obstacle may be temporary.
Download coordinates to Google Earth or a GPS.
Manager's contact information.
Managed by: USDA Forest Service.
Address: Lolo National Forest, Supervisor's Office, Building 24, Fort Missoula, Missoula, MT 59804
Phone Number: (406) 329-3750
TDD Phone Number: (406) 329-1048
Visit the manager's website.
Information source and currentness.
Source of Information: MonTECH staff visited this site in May 2011.
S.Hammer
Information Date: 5/13/2011
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