A River Runs Through It

A River Runs Through It. The Corps of Discovery in the Blackfoot River Valley. What makes this place, the Blackfoot River and its surrounding bioregion, so special? The Blackfoot watershed - with its headwaters near here, atop the Continental Divide at Roger's Pass - embraces 1.5 million acres. This vast area offers prime habitat not just for fish (including westslope cutthroat and bull trout), but also fore large mammals like the grizzly bear, wolverine, and lynx. Game birds flourish here, even the rare Columbian sharp-tailed grouse. Two hundred species of migratory birds, among them the greater sandhill crane and long-billed curlew make their home in the watershed's wetland. , These wetlands are key to the health and diversity of the ecosystem. More than six hundred species of plants thrive in the watershed, maybe of them alongside the area's spring creeks, prairie potholes, and glacial lakes. This rich region also hosts twenty-six rare plant species, including mosses, lichens, and such vascular plants as spotted coralroot and creeping snowberry. , Plants and Animals at Aspen Grove , When Meriwether Lewis traveled on the Road to the Buffalo near here in 1806, he recorded the native vegetation, including, common juniper, rocky mountain iris, twin berry honeysuckle, silvery lupine, and arrowleaf balsamroot. You too will see these hardy plants. , In their trek up the Blackfoot, Lewis and his men saw beaver and many beaver dams, deer ("remarkably plenty"), and a moose that frightened Lewis's dog Seaman. Even today, moose, elk, and deer are frequent visitors to Aspen Grove Campground.