The Bitterroot National Forest is in the process of finalizing the Lake Como Master Plan following a scoping process conducted last winter. The Lake Como Recreation Area is a high-use area that provides for multiple use recreation opportunities. According to the agency, visitor use continues to increase and the types of recreation activities people are participating in is also changing. While the majority of use is concentrated in the developed recreation sites, use is expanding to the north and south of the lake and visitors are seeking more recreation opportunities. The Master Plan will help guide future management actions, projects, prohibitions, and opportunities within the planning area. The overall goal is to maintain and enhance the quality and variety of sustainable recreation opportunities provided, while protecting the natural resources.
Sixty-three comments on the plan were received and reviewed and some common themes related to non-motorized water activities, biking, hiking, horse-back riding, cross-country skiing, roads and parking areas, non-commercial activities, and concerns about noise.
Some projects planned for the near future include purchasing and installing an additional segment of dock to help ease congestion at the boat launch and provide more room for loading/unloading; removing rocks on the west side of the boat launch; providing more passenger vehicle parking spots at the boat launch to accommodate multiple people meeting up to go boating; working with the Bitterroot Back Country Cyclists in constructing a 3-mile non-motorized trail south of Lake Como near the 550 road and evaluating a series of connector trails and a trailhead for those trails on the south side of Lake Como; and installing new entrance signs and directional signs at Rock Creek Horse Camp/Trailhead to help direct non-boating traffic to use the trailhead instead of parking at the boat launch.
Some projects identified for future evaluation and consideration (but not yet prioritized) include constructing a non-motorized watercraft launch on the north side of Lake Como; determining a carrying capacity for the lake and restricting vehicles to designated parking areas as a way to keep the use from drastically exceeding the capacity; constructing a series of non-motorized trails and trailhead for those trails on the north side of Lake Como; improving on the education and interpretation of the area; working with interest groups and partners in forming a “Friends of Como” group to help with maintenance, advocacy, and education; maintaining the area south of Lake Como as a winter recreation area and work with local clubs interested in grooming the area for cross-country skiing; coordinating with the Darby Parks and Recreation Department in determining the feasibility of connecting the Darby trails with a trail network on the south side of Lake Como.
Anyone with questions or comments on the status of the Master Plan can contact Erica Strayer at (406) 821-4252 or email estrayer@fs.fed.us.
A petition is being circulated by some concerned citizens advocating for more noise control in the plan. Gary Milner, one of the petition drive organizers, said that many people using the lake area for many different purposes are interested in creating and preserving more “quiet time” in which use of loud motors may be prohibited. For more information about the “Quiet Como” movement you may contact Milner at 363-8617.