Discover 9 hidden attractions, cool sights, and unusual things to do in Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness (United States). Don't miss out on these must-see attractions: Granite Peak, Mount Rearguard, and Livingston Peak. Also, be sure to include Whitetail Peak in your itinerary.
Below, you can find the list of the most amazing places you should visit in Absaroka–Beartooth Wilderness (Montana).
Table of Contents
Granite Peak
Peak in Montana. Granite Peak, at an elevation of 12,807 feet above sea level, is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Montana, and the tenth-highest state high point in the nation. It lies within the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Park County, very near the borders of Stillwater County and Carbon County. Granite Peak is 10 miles north of the Wyoming border and 45 miles southwest of Columbus, Montana.
Granite Peak is often considered the second most difficult state high point to climb after Denali in Alaska, due to technical climbing, poor weather, and route finding. Granite Peak's first ascent was made by Elers Koch, James C. Whitham, and R.T. Ferguson on August 29, 1923, after several failed attempts by others. It was the last of the state high points to be climbed. Today, climbers typically spend two or three days ascending the peak, stopping over on the Froze-to-Death Plateau, although some climbers choose to ascend the peak in a single day. Another route that has gained popularity in recent years is the Southwest Couloir route, a non-technical route from the south starting near Cooke City; climbers generally take two days to complete it.[1]
Mount Rearguard
Mountain in Montana. Mount Rearguard is in the Beartooth Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. The peak is one of the tallest in the Beartooth Mountains and is in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Custer National Forest. A small remnant glacier lies to the east of Mount Rearguard, which sits at the western edge of the Hellroaring Plateau.[2]
Livingston Peak
Mountain in Montana. Livingston Peak, el. 9,295 feet is a mountain peak in the Absaroka Range near Livingston, Montana. The peak is located within the Gallatin National Forest and the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.[3]
Whitetail Peak
Mountain in Montana. Whitetail Peak is in the Beartooth Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. The peak is one of the tallest in the Beartooth Mountains, the fifth-tallest in Montana, and is located in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness of Custer National Forest.[4]
Metcalf Mountain
Mountain in Montana. Metcalf Mountain is in the Beartooth Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. The peak is in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Custer National Forest and named for Lee Metcalf, former U.S. Senator from Montana.[5]
Beartooth National Forest
Beartooth National Forest was established in Montana on July 1, 1908 by the U.S. Forest Service with 685,293 acres from part of Yellowstone National Forest and all of Pryor Mountains National Forest. On February 17, 1932 the forest was divided between Absaroka National Forest and Custer National Forest and the name preserved as the Beartooth Ranger District of Custer National Forest.[6]
Beartooth Mountains
Mountain range in Montana. The Beartooth Mountains are located in south central Montana and northwest Wyoming, U.S. and are part of the 944,000 acres Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, within Custer, Gallatin and Shoshone National Forests. The Beartooths are the location of Granite Peak, which at 12,807 feet is the highest point in the state of Montana. The mountains are just northeast of Yellowstone National Park and are part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The mountains are traversed by road via the Beartooth Highway with the highest elevation at Beartooth Pass 10,947 ft). The name of the mountain range is attributed to a rugged peak found in the range, Beartooth Peak, that has the appearance of a bear's tooth.
The Beartooth Mountains sit upon the larger Beartooth Plateau.[7]
Bears Tooth
Mountain in Montana. Bears Tooth is a mountain spire in the Beartooth Mountains in the U.S. state of Montana. The peak is in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in Custer National Forest, and is adjacent to Beartooth Mountain. Bears Tooth is the namesake for numerous other points in the region and the Beartooth Mountains themselves. Known by the Native American Crow as "Na Piet Say", translated as bears tooth, the spire can be seen from the Beartooth Highway.[8]
Gallatin National Forest
National park in Park County, Montana. Founded in 1899, Gallatin National Forest is located in south central Montana, United States. The forest comprises 1,819,515 acres and has portions of both the Absaroka-Beartooth and Lee Metcalf Wilderness areas within its boundaries. Gallatin National Forest borders Yellowstone National Park on the north and northwest and is part of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, a region which encompasses almost 20,000,000 acres. The forest is named after Albert Gallatin, a U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and scholar of Native American languages and cultures.
In descending order of land area the forest is located in parts of Park, Gallatin, Sweet Grass, Madison, Carbon, and Meagher counties.[9]