Gallatin National Forest

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For even more detailed information on trails, check out Gallatin Range South - In Depth and Gallatin Range North - In Depth.

Photo Essay: Hiking the Andes with Mountain Lodges of Peru

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With a total of 2,290 miles of hiking trails, including seven National Recreation Trails, Gallatin National Forest is a hiker's mecca. Visitors to the forest can tackle the Gallatin Range, the Madison Range, the Bridger Range, the Absaroka Range, and the Beartooth Range—each of which boasts terrain ranging from 5,000 feet to over 10,000 feet. Dense stands of timber, open meadows, rock outcroppings, spectacular mountain peaks, waterfalls, clear mountain streams, lakes, and a wide variety of flora and fauna can be found throughout the area. During the winter, trail activity shifts to cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing. Nearly every parking lot and camping area in the Forest serves as a starting point for several trails, which have been given numerical designations by the US Forest Service. (In our descriptions, we'll refer to the trails by name and number, and they are referred to by number on topographical maps.)

There are dozens of trailheads on either side of the Bridger Range, with trails leading to the main trail, the Bridger Foothills National Recreation Trail. Hikers have a variety of options for starting points, including the "M" picnic area and the Hyalite Creek trailhead. Take plenty of water along on your hike, because most of the area is very dry during the summer and fall, and the availability of drinking water is limited. Dense timbered valleys and ridges with rugged peaks climbing to nearly 10,000 feet characterize the Gallatin Range. Petrified wood is common in this area, which can be accessed from the Gallatin Canyon, the south side, or the north end. Hikers in the north end will discover that the area varies between the lowland forested valleys of Bozeman Creek to high alpine country, characterized by exceptional scenery, steep canyons, many creeks, lakes, and waterfalls. The Madison Range, shaped by alpine glaciation, is a land of steep, rugged peaks, knife-edge ridges, and numerous cirques containing lakes surrounded by alpine meadows. Several peaks exceed 11,000 feet. A large portion of this range is comprised by the Lee Metcalf Wilderness.

The Absarokas, located in the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, are characterized by stratified volcanic and metamorphic rocks, forested valleys, and rugged peaks. This range is part of a chain of mountains that includes the spectacular peaks east of the Paradise Valley between Livingston and Gardiner, the northeastern corner of Yellowstone Park, Pilot and Index Peaks south of Cooke City, and the North Absaroka Wilderness in Wyoming. The Absarokas are home to a variety of wild animals, notably the threatened grizzly bear.

The neighboring Beartooths are dramatically different, characterized by some of the most rugged country in Montana. Peaks, deep canyons, and high tundra plateaus dominate the landscape. Gneiss, schists, and other rock formations from the Precambrian Era are exposed, the overlying layer of sedimentary rock from the Cretaceous Period having literally slid off when the Beartooths were uplifted. Due to the high elevations, thin soils, and harsh climate, much of the area is rocky and barren of vegetation. The most popular trail in this region is undoubtedly The Beaten Path.