A Travel Guide to Montana’s Bitterroot Valley, Where the West Still Feels Wild

The Bitterroot Valley of western Montana is one of the last truly wild places, unspoiled by traffic or crowds. Forget the large ski resorts of Big Sky or the ever-growing city of Bozeman, and venture southwest, where lift lines are nonexistent, and downtowns remain charmingly uncommercialized. Though Glacier and Yellowstone have their undeniable charms, you can find pristine wilderness and roaming wildlife without the park fees and crowded trailheads in the 1.6-million-acre Bitterroot National Forest.