MISSOULA — Missoula Parks and Recreation is reminding people that, despite this year’s not-so-wintery conditions, Mount Jumbo’s winter closure is still in effect.
This year, trail trespassing has surged.
“I think it's largely due to the poor snow conditions. So, folks don't feel that it's an issue to go up there, when in fact it still is,” said Missoula Parks and Recreation’s conservation lands superintendent Jeff Gicklhorn. “The elk are still on the mountain, regardless of if there’s snow or not.”
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Most of Mount Jumbo closes every year to protect the winter range of the resident elk herd. The closure also aims to prevent human-caused avalanches, like a fatal one in 2014 triggered by a trespassing snowboarder.
This year, however, not as many people are respecting the closure.
“We are seeing significantly elevated levels of trespass this year,” Gicklhorn said. “I had to double check the number of individual sort of incidents that we've had either reported through email, phone calls or documented via compliance monitoring cameras, and it's over 35 to date. And we're only a little more than halfway through the closure.”
Parks and Recreation and partner Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are worried about the impact this could have on the herd. They said it could cause elk to expend a ton of energy avoiding people, impact mating, cause elk to move or become habituated to people or even die.
“It’s best for the elk to stay wild and to view Mount Jumbo as this wild place that is safe for them in the winter. We also don't want to see them choose to go somewhere else, right?” Gicklhorn said. “We value the fact that we have this elk herd here within 1 mile of downtown Missoula, and we don't want to lose that or we don't want to risk that by having folks trespass into the closure.”
Missoula Police are looking for help identifying individuals who have trespassed. They released photos taken from compliance monitoring cameras. If you have information about individuals who have been trespassing this year, you can contact the temporary 2026 Mount Jumbo Tip Line at (406) 552-9465. They said observations of active trespassers within the closure should be reported to 9-1-1.
Gicklhorn said there are many other options for Missoulians looking to hit the trail. The lower L and the I-90 trails on Jumbo are open year-round, although dogs must be on leash. There are also many other trails around the Missoula area.
“I want to say thank you to everybody for respecting the closure and getting out and enjoying your public lands,” he said. “We're seeing a very, very small minority of individuals choose to trespass. It is significant or significantly increased over prior years, but that also means that the vast majority of Missoulians respect the closure.”
