Top Backpacking Trails in Montana
20 routes. Each page shows when we last checked it. Updated October 2026.
Backpacking in Montana runs from the glaciated peaks of Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness in the north to the Beartooth, Crazy, and Madison ranges near Yellowstone and the Bitterroot and Anaconda-Pintler mountains in the southwest. Many trips on this site climb to alpine lakes, such as Jewel Basin’s Black Lake, Turquoise Lake in the Mission Mountains, or Hilgard Basin in the Lee Metcalf Wilderness. Others are long traverses: the Gunsight Pass Trail and the 52-mile North Circle Loop in Glacier, the Beaten Path across the Beartooths, or the roughly 57-mile Chinese Wall loop from Benchmark.
The season is short. Snow can linger on high trails into early July, river fords run high during snowmelt, and Glacier’s seasonal bridges are mostly removed by late September. Fall hunting seasons begin in September in some backcountry districts.
Camping rules vary by managing agency. Glacier and Yellowstone require permits and assign designated campsites with food poles or boxes, while most national forest wildernesses allow dispersed camping without a permit, with group-size limits and setbacks from water. Much of western Montana is grizzly country, and food storage orders cover the Flathead, Kootenai, Lolo, Helena-Lewis and Clark, Custer Gallatin, Bitterroot, and Beaverhead-Deerlodge national forests.
In 2026, Glacier closed Two Medicine Road for construction, the Camp Creek Fire closed some Bob Marshall trails, and the Beaten Path’s flood-damaged Rimrock Lake bridge had not been confirmed as replaced. Check park and forest alerts before you go.
Quick picks
- Longest trip: Chinese Wall Loop from Benchmark
- Shortest overnight: Jewel Basin: Picnic Lakes to Black Lake
- Multi-day Glacier loop: North Circle Loop
- River canyon trip: Black Canyon of the Yellowstone (Eagle Creek to Blacktail)
- High Beartooth pass: Sundance Pass (Lake Fork to West Fork Rock Creek)
Beartooth Mountains
- Sundance Pass (Lake Fork to West Fork Rock Creek) Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Custer Gallatin National Forest (Lake Fork and West Fork Rock Creek trailheads near Red Lodge) 21 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit reported
- The Beaten Path (East Rosebud to Clarks Fork) Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, Custer Gallatin National Forest (East Rosebud Trailhead near Alpine to Clarks Fork Trailhead near Cooke City) 26 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit
Bitterroot Mountains
- Big Creek Lake (Bitterroot Mountains) Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Bitterroot National Forest (Big Creek Trailhead near Victor) 18 miles Hard Wilderness camping; designated sites around the lake reported; no permit
- Blodgett Canyon to Blodgett Lake Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, Bitterroot National Forest (Blodgett Creek Trailhead near Hamilton) 25.2 miles Hard Dispersed creekside and lake camping; no permit
Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex
Glacier National Park
- Boulder Pass Trail: Bowman Lake to Kintla Lake Glacier National Park, North Fork (Bowman Lake, Brown Pass, Hole in the Wall, Boulder Pass, Kintla Lakes) 38 miles Hard Designated wilderness campgrounds; NPS wilderness permit required
- Dawson-Pitamakan Loop Glacier National Park, Two Medicine (No Name Lake, Dawson Pass, Pitamakan Pass, Oldman Lake) 19 miles Hard Designated wilderness campgrounds; NPS wilderness permit required
- Gunsight Pass Trail Glacier National Park (Jackson Glacier Overlook to Lake McDonald Lodge) 20.6 miles Hard Designated wilderness campgrounds; NPS wilderness permit required
- Highline Trail to Fifty Mountain Glacier National Park (Logan Pass to The Loop via Granite Park, Fifty Mountain, and Flattop) 30.8 miles Hard Designated wilderness campgrounds; NPS wilderness permit required
- North Circle Loop Glacier National Park (Many Glacier, Ptarmigan Tunnel, Belly River, Stoney Indian Pass, Fifty Mountain, Granite Park) 52 miles Hard Designated wilderness campgrounds; NPS wilderness permit required
Northwest Montana
- Jewel Basin: Picnic Lakes to Black Lake Jewel Basin Hiking Area, Flathead National Forest (Camp Misery Trailhead, near Bigfork) 7 miles Moderate Dispersed camping allowed anywhere in the hiking area; no permit
- Turquoise Lake and Crescent Lake, Mission Mountains Mission Mountains Wilderness, Flathead National Forest (Glacier Creek Trailhead, near Condon) 11.1 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no camping within 1/4 mile of Glacier Lake
- Upper Holland Lake and Sapphire Lakes Loop Swan Range, Flathead National Forest (Holland Lake, near Condon) 12 miles Hard Dispersed backcountry camping at the lakes
- Wanless Lake, Cabinet Mountains Cabinet Mountains Wilderness, Kootenai National Forest (Trail 924, near Noxon) 18.6 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping at the lakes
Southwest Montana
- Big Timber Canyon to Twin Lakes (Crazy Mountains) Crazy Mountains, Custer Gallatin National Forest, Yellowstone Ranger District (Halfmoon Campground trailhead, northwest of Big Timber) 8.4 miles Hard Dispersed national forest camping at alpine lakes; no permit reported
- Black Canyon of the Yellowstone (Eagle Creek to Blacktail) Yellowstone National Park and Custer Gallatin National Forest (Eagle Creek Campground near Gardiner to Blacktail Deer Creek Trailhead) 12.9 miles Hard Designated Yellowstone backcountry campsites; permit required
- Hilgard Basin via Sentinel Creek Lee Metcalf Wilderness (Taylor-Hilgard Unit), Custer Gallatin National Forest (Potamogeton Park Trailhead off Beaver Creek Road, near Hebgen Lake) 17.4 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping at alpine lakes; no permit reported
- Hyalite Lake via Hyalite Creek Trail Hyalite Canyon, Custer Gallatin National Forest (Hyalite Creek Trailhead, south of Bozeman) 11 miles Moderate Dispersed camping at the lake; no camping within 1/2 mile of the road end except designated sites
- Johnson Lake Loop (Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness) Anaconda-Pintler Wilderness, Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest (Middle Fork Trailhead off Moose Lake Road, south of Philipsburg) 16 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; mandatory free registration at the trailhead
- South Fork Spanish Creek to Mirror Lake Lee Metcalf Wilderness (Spanish Peaks Unit), Custer Gallatin National Forest (Spanish Creek Trailhead, off US 191 between Bozeman and Big Sky) 15 miles Hard Dispersed wilderness camping; no permit reported
Backpacking in Montana: common questions
Do you need a permit to backpack in Montana?
It depends on the managing agency. Glacier National Park requires a wilderness use permit for all overnight camping, and Yellowstone requires a backcountry permit year-round for every overnight stay, with campsites assigned in both parks. Most national forest trips on this site need no permit: the Forest Service order for the Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Great Bear wildernesses sets no general permit requirement, and none is needed for general travel in the Selway-Bitterroot, while the Anaconda-Pintler asks for a free registration at the trailhead. Check with the park or ranger district before you go.
When is the best time to backpack in Montana?
For most mountain trips, midsummer through September. Snow can linger on high trails into early July, and onX warns that river fords on routes like the Chinese Wall loop are dangerous during late spring and early summer snowmelt. In Glacier, advance permit reservations cover trips from June 15 to September 30, and the NPS says most seasonal bridges are removed by late September. Check current snow, road, and fire conditions with the managing agency.
Do you need a bear canister in Montana?
Not usually, but much of western Montana is grizzly country and food storage orders apply on many national forests. The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem order covers the Flathead, Lolo, Kootenai, and Helena-Lewis and Clark national forests from March 1 through December 31, and the Custer Gallatin order covers districts including the Beartooth, Bozeman, and Hebgen Lake from March 1 to December 1. Both require unattended food to be hung at least 10 feet up and 4 feet out or kept in a certified bear-resistant container. In Glacier and Yellowstone, campsites have food poles or boxes, and Yellowstone tells backpackers to bring at least 35 feet of rope.
When is hunting season in Montana?
Fall hunting overlaps with the end of the backpacking season. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks lists 2026 deer and elk archery season as September 5 to October 18 and the general season as October 24 to November 29, with a backcountry general season starting September 15 in hunting districts 150, 280, and 316. FWP has advised hikers to wear bright colors during hunting season. Check FWP regulations for the area you plan to visit.
Can you bring a dog backpacking in Montana?
Rules vary by managing agency. The NPS says pets are not permitted on trails or in the backcountry in Glacier National Park, and dogs are not allowed on Yellowstone's trails. On national forest land dogs are generally allowed, though some areas set rules, such as the leash requirement in the Jewel Basin Hiking Area. Confirm with the ranger district before you go.
Are any Montana backpacking areas closed in 2026?
Some are. Glacier closed Two Medicine Road on September 8, 2026, for utility and road work expected to run into 2027 or later, and the Two Medicine Campground is closed for 2026. The Camp Creek Fire led to trail closures in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, which the Flathead National Forest narrowed on September 11, 2026, to the Ayres Creek, Basin Creek, and Stadler Creek trails. On the Beaten Path, the Forest Service began replacing the flood-damaged bridge at Rimrock Lake in October 2025, but completion has not been confirmed, so check forest and park alerts before any trip.
Where this comes from
- NPS Glacier: How to get a wilderness permit
- NPS Glacier: Wilderness camping reservations
- NPS Glacier: Pets
- NPS Glacier: Road construction and infrastructure project work
- NPS Yellowstone: Backcountry hiking and permits
- USFS: Order 01-15-00-25-01, Bob Marshall, Scapegoat, and Great Bear Wilderness restrictions
- USFS: R1-2023-02 NCDE food and wildlife attractant storage order
- USFS: Custer Gallatin food storage order 01-11-00-23-02
- USFS: Flathead National Forest alerts (Camp Creek Fire closure, Sept. 11, 2026)
- Montana FWP: Hunting seasons (2026)