Montana Mountains: Madison Range

Montana's glacially chiseled Madison Mountain Range features some of the state's highest peaks, the quarter-million-acre Lee Metcalf Wilderness, and some of the best grizzly bear and elk habitat in the region.

Overview

With rugged peaks reaching over 11,000 feet high, alpine meadows and lakes, and ample wildlife, Montana’s Madison Range is quintessential Western high-country. Day visitors will find hiking, fishing, wildlife watching and of course scenery galore, while those looking for off-the-beaten-path adventure will find plenty.

Location/Directions

Stretching 80 miles from West Yellowstone, Mont., to Bozeman, Mont., the range marks the western boundary of what is known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. To its west flows the Madison River, to its east the Gallatin, both of which empty into the Missouri River.

Hours/Seasons

Accessible year-round, the Madison Range offers hiking, biking and fishing in the summer, and amazing backcountry skiing in the winter.

Activities

Named for then-Secretary of State James Madison by Lewis and Clark when they traveled through the area in 1805, the Madison Mountain Range is mostly within the Beaverhead-Deerlodge and Gallatin national forests.

The craggy heart of the range is the 250,000-acre Lee Metcalf Wilderness, which consists of four discreet areas or units: Bear Trap Canyon, Monument Mountain, Spanish Peaks and Taylor-Hilgard.

The Taylor-Hilgard Unit boasts Montana’s tallest mountains outside of the Beartooth Range, including Hilgard Peak, at 11,316 feet. The Spanish Peaks Unit sees the most use, with hikers and mountaineers making use of the 110 miles of trails.

On the northwest boundary of Yellowstone National Park, the 30,000-acre Monument Mountain Unit is isolated and least visited. This is prime grizzly bear habitat, with one of the largest populations of the great bears in the region.

The 6,000-acre Bear Trap Canyon Unit – a fantastic and rugged piece of canyonland, with cliffs up to 1,500 feet towering over the Madison River – was the first piece of the range to be designated wilderness. Hikers and backpackers enjoy the view from the banks, anglers venture into the ripples for fishing, and rafters challenge themselves on the whitewater of the river, including in the famous Class IV.V “Kitchen Sink” rapid.

In addition to day hiking, backpacking, fishing, rafting, camping, winter sports and just plain gawking at the beauty of the high peaks, the entire Madison Range offers excellent chances to observe wildlife, including elk, deer and moose. The area provides habitat for a sizable grizzly bear population, as well as mountain lions and mountain goats. Wolves have been denning in these mountains since about 1999. The lakes and streams run with cutthroat, grayling, rainbow and brook trout.