Montana's Largest National Forest Is A Recreation Hub With Trails, Campgrounds, And A Scenic Byway

The United States has some pretty unique and alluring national forest reserves up its sleeve. Over in Puerto Rico, you can dive into the tropical rainforests of El Yunque to get a hint of Costa Rica on U.S. soil. Down in Utah, you can lose yourself amid the colorful landscapes and scenic trails of the Dixie National Forest, where ancient archaeological sites sit next to towering hoodoos. Then there's the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest of Montana, a sprawling center for all sorts of outdoors adventure.

According to the National Forest Foundation, the organization charged with restoring and promoting national forest reserves across the whole country, Beaverhead-Deerlodge expands over a map-gorging 3.32 million acres. That makes it bigger than Rhode Island, and the largest national forest in the Big Sky State. The uncrowded and pristine Custer Gallatin National Forest comes in a close second. It encompasses eight counties and multiple different wilderness areas, which all combine to give unbridled recreation opportunities, from downhill skiing and long-distance treks to jaw-dropping scenic byways through 10,000-foot-tall mountain ranges.

Because it's so darn large, there are multiple access points to the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest. The good news is that most — including the principal gateway towns of Dillon, Anaconda, and Butte — sit neatly along or near the I-15 corridor. Butte has the closest regional airport, which has a daily link from Salt Lake City. For more flight options, look to the larger Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, a touch over an hour's drive to the east.

The folks behind the Montana-focused adventure blog Backyard Montana say that the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is nothing short of a "paradise" for hikers. They pick out three distinct sectors of the park where there's epic walking to be done, starting with the Tobacco Root Mountains, a segment of the forest with 40-plus summits that soar to over 10,000 feet above sea level. It's in there that you'll find the path to Louise Lake, a 7.4-miler that zigzags through the ridges to find a glimmering stretch of water cradled between the peaks.

It's the Gold Creek Trail that comes up trumps for bloggers on Trailheadtraveler.com. The blog waxes lyrical about the way the path hops from wildflower-filled forests at lower elevations to an open ridge with sweeping panoramas as it gets higher. Meanwhile, the National Forest Foundation focuses on the section of the ultra-famous Continental Divide Trail that passes through this corner of Montana. It's a 26-mile leg with views into Idaho and the Big Hole Valley, the site of historic battlefields where the Nez Perce once warred with the U.S. Army.

And there's more good news for those who like to be truly immersed in the great outdoors, for Beaverhead-Deerlodge lays claim to around 50 campgrounds in all. Indeed, a quick search on Recreation.gov, the main booking platform for federal wildernesses right across America, reveals 47 cabins and campgrounds in these parts. Of those, it's the Price Creek Campground that reigns supreme, with a 5-star rating from past campers. It's certainly tempting, what with elk-stalked meadows and pine woods swirling around its 27 pitches.

There's no need to lace up the boots and hoof it on the trails if you don't want to. The Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is also home to the Pioneer Mountains Scenic Byway, which traverses the whole length of its namesake range across 49 miles of sublime Big Sky State terrain. Expect soaring mountains on one side, and undulating backcountry dashed with pine woods and meadows on the other.

The Montana mountain town of Wise River is the route's starting point in the north, while the small ski town of Polaris caps the road off on its southern end. Between those two, you can drop into the eerie ghost town at Coolidge, an abandoned silver mining hub with ruined cabins, and bathe in the 102-degree pools of the naturally-warmed Elkhorn Springs. There are also more side hikes to do along the way than you can shake a boot at, along with fine observation points with wildlife spotting opportunities.

Many of the major roads that cut through the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest will become snowed in throughout the winter months, and this famed byway is no different. The route closes completely between December and May each year, but all is not lost, for it's also a designated national snowmobile route, offering adventures of an altogether different kind!