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Gallatin National Forest
Montana
Location, of course, is everything. And Gallatin National Forest has certainly benefited from having Yellowstone National Park literally in its backyard. The 1.8-million-acre forest in southwestern Montana shares not only borders with the famed national park, but also its Bighorn sheep, elk, and grizzlies, which cross between the two protected areas without disruption.
Boulder River
Gallatin also shares in Yellowstone's unique geology: The world's largest thermal basin has produced fault lines that run right through Gallatin, resulting in places like Earthquake Lake, formed by (surprise) an earthquake, in 1959.
Besides the eerie thermal-basin formations and hordes of wildlife, Gallatin also serves up a huge playground for outdoor lovers. You'll find 2,200 miles of trails, 1,740 miles of fishable streams and rivers, and 700 high-mountain lakes and reservoirs. All are surrounded by dense timbered valleys, rugged peaks that reach to nearly 10,000 feet, stratified volcanic and metamorphic rock, and alpine meadows that explode with summertime wildflowers.
Late summer is considered high season in these northern reaches, but truly any season is good for discovering the forest's myriad Montana-made adventures: cross-country skiing, fishing, hiking, rafting, walking through a petrified forest, and driving one of America's most beautiful byways.
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