Wilderness fire, its history, challenges, teachings, and future management were the focus of discussions and presentations during the 40 Years of Wilderness Fire in the Selway-Bitterroot field trip at the May 2014 Large Wildland Fires Conference. The trip took participants to observe recent fire patterns in the region between the Selway-Bitterroot and Frank Church-River of No Return wildernesses. Despite an abbreviated itinerary due to a delay in clearing the road of a deep winter snowpack, the field trip included insightful presentations and lively discussions with a diverse group of researchers, managers, residents, and other stakeholders.