Harvey Creek

Harvey Creek Roadless Area packs a super-sized refuge for flora and fauna into a small package, ranging from dense, mid-elevation forests of cedar, hemlock, and lodgepole pine to the rocky cirques and alpine ponds of Molybdenite Mountain.

Harvey Creek provides habitat for several rare or endangered species. The entire roadless area has been designated a habitat recovery area for grizzly bears, and the majority for recovery of the rare and endangered mountain caribou.

Harvey Creek is a wild refuge for people, too: although there are no system trails, opportunities for cross-country travel abound, creating a truly unconfined backcountry experience for hikers, berry pickers, hunters, and nature photographers.

Tumbling down the steep, rocky slopes and ravines of Molybdenite Mountain, numerous fast-flowing streams form the headwaters of Harvey Creek to the north and LeClerc Creek to the south. Both Harvey and Le Clerc have been designated critical core habitat for recovery of the endangered bull trout. Le Clerc Creek is one of only three watersheds in the Colville National Forest with evidence of successful spawning of this beautiful endangered char.

At the headwaters of Harvey Creek, Bunchgrass Meadows Research Natural Area protects a mid-elevation pond and rare sphagnum bog, home to the only population of northern bog lemmings in the region. Several species of rare butterflies flit among more than 130 plant species recognized in this rare and sensitive ecosystem.

Preventing future road development and logging in this area would maintain escapement and seclusion for wildlife and protect the cool, clean streams required by fish. wilderness protection will allow enjoyment of Harvey Creek by future generations.