Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 7 24 ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH WILDERNESS LOCATION: Between Billings and Yellowstone National Park • SIZE: 920,343 acres DESCRIPTION: Consisting of two major ranges. To the east, the Beartooths are rugged and glaciated, with huge alpine plateaus and 29 peaks above 12,000 feet. To the west, Absarokas consist of steep ridges, grassy meadows and heavily forested canyons. ANACONDA-PINTLER WILDERNESS LOCATION: Southwest of Butte • SIZE: 158,615 acres DESCRIPTION: Old-growth forest, windswept ridges, alpine meadows and rugged alpine peaks along the Continental Divide. Cirques with alpine lakes and glacial moraines make for spectacular scenery. BOB MARSHALL WILDERNESS LOCATION: West of Great Falls • SIZE: 1,063,503 acres DESCRIPTION: The most ecologically complete mountain wilderness in the country, with rugged peaks, big river valleys, lakes, large meadows and exten- sive coniferous forests. CABINET MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS LOCATION: Southwest of Libby • SIZE: 94,272 acres DESCRIPTION: Receiving more than 100 inches of precipitation annually, the Cabinets consist of snowcapped peaks, glacial lakes and valleys cut by streams and waterfalls. GATES OF THE MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS LOCATION: Northeast of Helena • SIZE: 28,562 acres DESCRIPTION: A wild canyon landscape of limestone spires, outcrops and caves carved into shear cliffs. GREAT BEAR WILDERNESS LOCATION: South of Glacier National Park • SIZE: 286,700 acres DESCRIPTION: Knife-edge ridges along the Continental Divide, heavily forested mountainsides, gently sloping meadows and open river bottoms. LEE METCALF WILDERNESS LOCATION: Southwest of Bozeman • SIZE: 254,288 acres DESCRIPTION: Spectacular alpine peaks, high sparkling lakes, U-shaped valleys, meadows and deep canyons. MEDICINE LAKE WILDERNESS LOCATION: South of Plentywood within Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge SIZE: 11,366 acres DESCRIPTION: Preserving a portion of northeastern Montana's marsh–filled prairie, this wilderness area consists of rolling dunes, a shallow lake and sand hills within a national wildlife refuge. MISSION MOUNTAINS WILDERNESS LOCATION: North of Missoula • SIZE: 73,877 acres DESCRIPTION: This wilderness area encompasses the east side of the Missions with elevations ranging from 3,500 to 9,820 feet, and features hidden basins, hanging valleys and 350 lakes. MISSION MOUNTAINS TRIBAL WILDERNESS LOCATION: Southeast of Polson • SIZE: 89,500 acres DESCRIPTION: Established in 1982 by the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, this wilderness area has an abundance of water from perpetual snow- fields that feed one of the densest concentrations of alpine lakes in the northern Rockies. RATTLESNAKE WILDERNESS LOCATION: North of Missoula • SIZE: 32,976 acres DESCRIPTION: Winding ridges with steep east-facing cirques, lake-filled basins in sloping forests and secluded hanging valleys with waterfalls and steep- gradient streams. RED ROCK LAKES WILDERNESS LOCATION: Centennial Valley within the Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge • SIZE: 32,350 acres DESCRIPTION: This remote basin holds an amazing, interconnected system of lakes, streams, and marshes all managed for wildlife, especially the 215 bird species observed there. SCAPEGOAT WILDERNESS LOCATION: Southeast of Great Falls • SIZE: 259,966 acres DESCRIPTION: Thousand-foot limestone cliffs stretching for miles and scattered subalpine forests of spruce, white bark pine, and fir that open onto grassy parks and gently sloping meadows. SELWAY-BITTERROOT WILDERNESS LOCATION: West of Hamilton • SIZE: 251,443 acres DESCRIPTION: Treeless and austere granite peaks towering above gentle ridges, hanging valleys and heavily forested valleys with surprising pockets of bogs and marshes. UL BEND WILDERNESS LOCATION: South of Malta within the CMR National Wildlife Refuge SIZE: 20,819 acres. DESCRIPTION: Isolated within the Charles M Russell National Wildlife Refuge, this broad bend on the Missouri River consists of dramatic breaks, short-grass prairie, and some of the most productive big game habitat in North America. WELCOME CREEK WILDERNESS LOCATION: Southeast of Missoula • SIZE: 28,135 acres DESCRIPTION: Steep, rough breaks covered with old-growth forest and topped by exposed ridges. Deep canyons sweep down to one of Montana's premier blue-ribbon trout streams, Rock Creek. Montana's 16 Wilderness Areas Scapegoat Plateau, deep in the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area LEE BOMAN

• Cover