Flathead National Forest looking at 25 special use permits this summer

The Flathead National Forest is requesting public input on the issuance of 25 temporary special use permits authorizing outfitting and guiding activities and recreation events to individuals, groups, businesses, and nonprofit entities who have applied for permits through the Flathead National Forest Temporary Outfitting and Guiding and Recreation Event Special Use Permit Process. Comments will be accepted through May 26 and should be submitted to comments-northern-flathead@usda.gov with “2023 Summer Rec Special Use” in the subject line.

A special use permit authorizes occupancy, use, rights, and privileges for a specific period of time on National Forest System lands beyond those available to individuals visiting the National Forest. Special use may include group activities, recreational events, and use from which fees or income is derived. A special use authorization is not required for noncommercial, personal recreational activities such as camping, picnicking, hiking, fishing, boating, hunting, horseback riding, etc. For more information on the Special Use Permit process, please visit the Flathead National Forest Special Use Permit Webpage.

If a proposal is approved, the short-term special use permits would be valid through Oct. 31, 2023 for the approved number of service days, or for the specific timeframes identified in the proposal. A service day is defined as an allocation of use constituting a day or any part of a day on NFS lands for which an outfitter provides a service to a client and is calculated by multiplying each service day by the number of clients on the trip.

A letter containing descriptions of the special use proposals and associated maps can be found by locating the project “2023 Flathead National Forest Summer Uses” on the Flathead National Forest website. 

Please direct questions to the Ranger District contacts that correspond with the proposed activity location.