View of McFadden Mountain from the southern end of the Big Creek Airstrip - c.1958 and 2019

When Senator Frank Church was proposing for 2.3 million acres of Idaho’s wilderness to be protected, he sought out support from one of the backcountry’s biggest stakeholder groups: aviators. Senator Frank Church compromised with the aviation community to ensure the entirety of the proposed area was protected, while still giving the opportunity for pilots and recreationists to access the backcountry airstrips that had been established and used in the wilderness area prior to its designation.

This is one reason why the Frank Church Wilderness is so unique: within the wilderness boundaries, one cannot ride a bike, run a chainsaw, or even use a wheelbarrow; but you can fly in on a plane and land at any of the public access airstrips.

Location: Payette National Forest, ID

Latitude & Longitude: 45.1282, -115.3234