Wildfire burning in Bob Marshall Wilderness, already

The fire season has already begun in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. The Elk Hill Fire near the North Fork of the Sun River was apparently started April 9 by a campfire that wasn’t completely out.

By Monday it had grown to just over 1,000 acres and several trails in the area are closed as a result. The fire is being fought by three helicopter crews, when conditions allow. The blaze is behind Sheep Reef and is burning in an area that burned in 2005 in grass and downed timber.

Trails that are closed near the fire include:

• North Fork Sun River Trail #201 from junction with #268 north to junction with #231.1 (northwest of Cabin Creek Cabin);

• Circle Creek Trail #231 from junction with #201 north to #231.1 and southeast to junction with #208;

• Cabin Creek Administration Connector #231.1 closed in its entirety;

• Circle Creek Connector #268.1 closed in its entirety.