Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness

The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness is a protected area featuring alpine lakes, granite peaks, dense forests, and wide plateaus across southern Montana. The landscape combines steep mountainsides with remote water bodies and open ridgelines that stretch across hundreds of thousands of acres.

Congress protected this area as wilderness in 1978, combining sections of the Custer and Gallatin National Forests into a single preserve. This designation created one of the largest roadless areas in the lower 48 states.

Native American nations, particularly the Crow and Shoshone, hunted and gathered across these mountains for countless generations before European settlement changed the region. The landscape still reflects the paths and hunting grounds that shaped their cultures and ways of life.

Visitors need permits for camping and fishing throughout the area, with all motorized vehicles banned year-round. The terrain demands solid fitness and preparation, as trails can be steep and weather changes quickly at high elevations.

The area contains Granite Peak, Montana's highest mountain, alongside more than 100 summits rising above 10,000 feet. This concentration of tall peaks makes it a rare destination for serious climbers and mountain explorers.