USFWS · Montana

UL Bend Wilderness

Approximately 125 miles up the Fort Peck Reservoir and the Missouri River from the Fort Peck Dam, you'll find the UL Bend Wilderness. Situated within the UL Bend and Charles M. Russell National Wildlife...

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net), where the full text continues.

Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
UL Bend Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
StateMontana
Size20,819 acres (Wilderness Connect)
Designated1976, by Congress
Center point47.5362, -107.8781
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 21)

Boundary map

4 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near UL Bend Wilderness10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.27 inches of precipitation, 6.6 inches of snowFebruary: 0.24 inches of precipitation, 6.4 inches of snowMarch: 0.50 inches of precipitation, 4.1 inches of snowApril: 1.07 inches of precipitation, 2.7 inches of snowMay: 2.42 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowJune: 2.70 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 1.87 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 1.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 1.09 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 0.98 inches of precipitation, 1.4 inches of snowNovember: 0.37 inches of precipitation, 4.8 inches of snowDecember: 0.23 inches of precipitation, 5.6 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 17.5°F averageFebruary: 21.1°F averageMarch: 31.6°F averageApril: 43.4°F averageMay: 53.1°F averageJune: 62.6°F averageJuly: 70.3°F averageAugust: 69.1°F averageSeptember: 58.1°F averageOctober: 44.2°F averageNovember: 30.5°F averageDecember: 20.6°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Malta 35 S, 21 miles from the center point at 2,615 feet, station USC00245340 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 13 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 32 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-09-18
  • Wildfire
    Blue Ridge - Garfield

    17 mi from the center point · 26 acres

  • Wildfire
    Chamberlin Reservoir

    17 mi from the center point · 94 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is UL Bend Wilderness?

20,819 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages UL Bend Wilderness?

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is UL Bend Wilderness in?

Montana.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was UL Bend Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1976.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at UL Bend Wilderness?

No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit rules.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to UL Bend Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.536, -107.878. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Is there a fire near UL Bend Wilderness right now?

2 active incidents within 50 miles as of 2026-09-18, the nearest Blue Ridge - Garfield at 17 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

How dark is the night sky at UL Bend Wilderness?

NASA’s Black Marble night-lights image reads 21 on a 0 to 255 scale at the center point, very dark ground, a faint glow at most.

Source: NASA Black Marble

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.