Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness
The Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness is located just north of Yellowstone National Park in south central Montana, with a small portion in northern Wyoming. The Wilderness is home to Montana's tallest peak, the steep rocky mass known as Granite Peak. At 12,799 feet, Granite Peak towers above the Beartooth Plateau and anchors the Beartooth Range, which stands higher and more rugged than the Absarokas, with many peaks exceeding 12,000 feet (one of them resembles a bear's tooth). The area is dominated by the high granitic alpine plateaus of the Beartooth Mountains, a starkly beautiful country of expansive views, hidden lakes among bald rocks, and wildly unpredictable weather. Cold and wind may strike any day of the year.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| States | Montana, Wyoming |
| Size | 937,102 acres |
| Designated | 1978, by Congress |
| Center point | 45.22° N, 110.10° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 17) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
2 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 28 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Show 4 moreHide
18 more within ten miles are not listed here.
Trails
152 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 822 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Stillwater River ↗ | 23.7 | |
| West Fork Stillwater ↗ | 19.3 | |
| Great Falls Creek ↗ | 17.3 | |
| East Rosebud ↗ | 16.6 | |
| West Boulder ↗ | 15.9 | |
| Anderson Ridge ↗ | 14.5 | |
| Horse Creek ↗ | 14.3 | |
| Slough Creek ↗ | 14 | |
| Buffalo Fork ↗ | 12.5 | |
| Low Specimen ↗ | 11.8 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 3.3 miNortheast Entrance Station ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.3 miCamp Senia Historic District ↗Red Lodge, MT
- 1 miHerbert Summer Cabin ↗Big Timber, MT
- 2.6 miCooke City Store ↗Cooke City, MT
- 2.7 miGardiner Bridge ↗Gardiner, MT
- 2.7 miGardiner Jail ↗Gardiner, MT
- 3.4 miCarter Bridge ↗Livingston, MT
- 3.7 mi
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness and Montana
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness?
937,102 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness in?
The boundary crosses Montana and Wyoming.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1978.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 45.215° N, 110.102° W. Yellowstone National Park is 30 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Which national parks are near Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness?
Yellowstone National Park (30 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness?
The National Register has 40 listings within 15 miles, including Northeast Entrance Station and Camp Senia Historic District.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.