Registration for any attendees of the US Forest Service Retiree Reunion Monday, September 22nd to Friday September 26th, 2025  

Please note that all attendees will need to be registered. 

Early Bird Pricing through June 30th, buy now before the price goes up to $350. 

Click here to see the daily program

Historic Ninemile Remount Depot and Historic Ranger Station - Wednesday Sept 24th from 10am to 2pm 

The historic Remount Depot at Ninemile Ranger Station was established in 1930 when the Forest Service purchased the old Allen Ranch. The Remount Depot bred mules for 32 years to assist with fire suppression. In the heyday, there were over 1500 animals at the station with 35 animal packers. Today 200 head make their way from all across Montana, northern Idaho, and some from Wyoming to spend their winters here.

Our excursion provides an interpretive walk around the station, time to visit sites on your own, a demonstration of packing, and BBQ lunch with Dutch oven dessert. You’ll also have time to check out the visitor center and gift store. Friends of Ninemile, the non-profit volunteer partner raising funds to maintain the historical structures, will be on hand to explain their efforts, including a most recent effort to restore the only remaining Forest Service mule hauler.

Ninemile is approximately 30 miles northeast of Missoula. This excursion will last approximately 4 hours, and includes transportation (bus) and lunch. Restrooms and water are available. 

The Ninemile Remount Station is wheelchair accessible.  The buses providing transportation are motor coaches and do not have lifts. 

CLICK HERE for the full tour description (PDF).

Excursions may be cancelled if minimum registration numbers are not met. If this occurs, you may sign up for another excursion or receive a refund. 

Passage Through Time: The Road to the Buffalo Wednesday, September 24th, 10m to 5pm

The Bitterroot Mountain Range has been a serious barrier to Native Americans, explorers, early settlers, and developers travelling through the Northern Rocky  Mountains. The Salish and Nez Perce Tribes used this route for hundreds of years to trade bison and salmon.

We will drive Highway 12 following the Road to the Buffalo along the auto tour routes of the Lewis and Clark and Nez Perce (Nee-Me-Poo) National Historic Trails to the Lolo  Pass Visitor Center on the Idaho and Montana divide, between the Lolo and Nez Perce Clearwater National Forests. Activities include guided tours to a Lewis and Clark campsite or to Packer Meadows where the Nez Perce camped during their annual camas harvest, and programs on the history of Forest Service management
here. Exhibits, videos, and book sales are featured in the Visitor Center.
Fee includes interpretive programs, tour materials, bus transportation, and lunch) When: date, from 10 am to 5 pm; we will drive 90 miles round trip. 
Bring: Walking shoes, hat, sunscreen, water, and coat 

CLICK HERE for the full tour description (PDF)

Excursions may be cancelled if minimum registration numbers are not met. If this occurs, you may sign up for another excursion or receive a refund. 

Rock Creek Historic Sites - Thursday, September 25th, 2025

Visit the Hogback and Morgan Case Homesteads and the Rock Creek Guard Station in the Lolo National Forest, Granite County, Montana with retired Forest Archeologist C. Milo McLeod. 

10:15am to 4:30pm - the pre-excursion talk begins at 10:30am, bus leaves at 11am

Transportation to and from the Hilton Garden Inn and lunch are included. 

The Hogback Homestead, a fully furnished two story log cabin, is situated on approximately five acres along Hogback Creek. It has three bedrooms, kitchen, living  room, and dining room. It is heated with a wood stove and is equipped with propane lights and cook stove. This homestead, built in 1917 as a permanent home, provides an opportunity to experience the setting and lifestyle of the early 1900s.

The Morgan-Case Homestead is a rustic, single story log cabin situated on approximately 320 acres along Rock Creek. The cabin has two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, and kitchen. It is furnished in the era of the early 1900s. The cabin is entirely electric -- with an electric range and oven, refrigerator and lights. This homestead is currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance relating to early homesteading and ranching (1890-1951) in Granite County and western Montana.

Click here for a full tour description (PDF)

Excursions may be cancelled if minimum registration numbers are not met. If this occurs, you may sign up for another excursion or receive a refund. 

An Excursion Trifecta:

-          Walking in Lewis & Clark’s footsteps at Travelers’ Rest State Park

-          Exploring the ‘Old West’ Native American and Cowboy era at the Holt Heritage Museum, and

-          Relaxing with friends at the award-winning Lolo Creek Distillery.

10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Our bus will leave the hotel at 10:30 sharp. Please arrive for boarding at 10:15.

The Travelers’ Rest State Park and Holt Heritage Museum celebrate two colorful and imagination-inspiring periods in the history of the Intermountain West: The Lewis & Clark
Expedition and the era of ‘the Old West”.

Travelers' Rest State Park is home to the only archeologically verified campsite of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and is also an important cultural site of the Salish and other indigenous people.

The Holt Heritage Museum contains a rich collection of remnants and artifacts of the Old West. The displays represent 35 years of dedication to telling the story of the Old West by Bill and Ramona Holt.

We’ll end our afternoon at the award-winning Lolo Creek Distillery where we’ll enjoy craft cocktails and mocktails while relaxing with friends in the picturesque setting showcased from the Distillery’s tasting room and outdoor patio.

Lunch and travel to and from the venue are included in the price. 

Click here for the full tour description (PDF)

Excursions may be cancelled if minimum registration numbers are not met. If this occurs, you may sign up for another excursion or receive a refund. 

Missoula Fire, Science and Technology Forest Service Campus Tour - Thursday, September 25th 9:30am-2:30pm

All three facilities are within a ten-minute walk of each other. Tours will be one hour in length with a
15-minute break between tours so participants may make their next scheduled tour.  The first tour begins at 10:00am.

Missoula Smokejumper Center - The Smokejumper excursion/tour includes a stop at the Visitor Information Center for a briefing and viewing of
smokejumper equipment. From there, a tour through the Aerial Fire Depot by a veteran smokejumper will
include the equipment construction and repair facility, parachute tower, rigging room, ready room, dispatch
center, the cargo room, and the airplane. 

Rocky Mountain Research and Fire Sciences Laboratory The Missoula Firelab is the preeminent fire research facility in the world. It was established in the aftermath of the Mann Gulch Fire. The Firelab’s original focus of developing a greater understanding of wildland fire and using the best technology available to get that knowledge into the hands of fire managers continues to be the way of life for researchers. 

National Technology and Development Program/Center The NTDP evaluates problems and creates solutions across all Deputy Chief areas, helping to make the agency
and its employees safer and more efficient. NTDP has 76 employees with a wide range of skills and disciplines, some rare or even unique to the agency. Facilities and programs are critical for developing and testing equipment specifications and for supporting other
land management programs.

Click her for the full tour description (PDF)

Excursions may be cancelled if minimum registration numbers are not met. If this occurs, you may sign up for another excursion or receive a refund.