What's hot, what's not, in Reynolds Creek Fire

After a tour of the interior of the Reynolds Creek Fire, the Hungry Horse News can give people a more definitive view of what’s burned over and what it isn’t.

The following trailheads were fried: The St. Mary Falls trailhead, the Otokomi Lake Trailhead and the Baring Creek (Siyeh Pass) trailhead were all heavily burned. Baring Creek has some green vegetation, but not much. Crews were doing a burnout operation behind the Rising Sun Motor Inn and campground on July 31, so what hadn’t burned will be.

What hasn’t burned: The Deadhorse Point overlook is largely green and the Wild Goose Island Overlook is green as well. The area from Two Dogs Flats Creek to Rising Sun along the Sun Road is green and the region around the boat dock is all green as well. The area beyond the Wild Goose Overlook is mosaic burn, meaning green patches interspersed with dead areas. The ridge behind the overlook was actively burning with torching trees.

Beyond Dead Horse Point there are large areas that are a “moonscape” where the fire burned hot on both sides of the road. The negative is the trees are all dead. The positive is the views of the lake are greatly enhanced and the area, if past Glacier Park fires are any indication, should bloom with wildflowers en masse next spring as well as subsequent years afterward.