The views from the Pryor Mountains offer long, beautiful vistas of the surrounding countryside. The dry limestone uplifts and formations create a stark contrast to the Beartooth Mountains. The Pryor Mountain Unit of the district is located about 60 miles east of Red Lodge, MT adjacent to both the Crow Indian Reservation, BLM lands, and the Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. There are many trails that provide access to the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness, but be aware that travelling in the wilderness area comes with additional regulations.įor more information on the Beartooth Mountains, click here. The Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness makes up 65% of the Beartooth Unit and offers a wide range of scenic landscapes and hidden treasures. The highway, open from Memorial Day to mid-October (weather permitting), climbs to 10,947ft and offers stunning vistas and many recreation opportunities on the Custer Gallatin National Forest and the Shoshone National Forest. The Beartooth Highway is consistently rated one of the most scenic mountain drives in America. The district serves as the northeastern gateway to Yellowstone National Park and is home to the Beartooth Scenic Highway. The highest 41 peaks in Montana are located in the Beartooth Ranger District, including Granite Peak, which is the highest and stands at 12,799ft. The district is known for its rugged mountains and sub-alpine tundra plateaus. The district office is located in Red Lodge, MT, 65 miles southwest of Montana’s largest city, Billings. The Beartooth Ranger District is located in south central Montana and encompasses the Beartooth and Pryor Mountain Ranges. There are 4 campgrounds and 2 picnic sites on the District.
There are no developed trails within the hiking and riding areas. These areas are closed to motorized travel but provide excellent opportunities for hunting, solitude, and nature study. There are three riding and hiking areas on the District totaling 40,000 acres (Cook Mountain, King Mountain, and Tongue River Breaks). Vegetation varies from prairie to dense stands of ponderosa pine. The District offers a variety of topography, varying from rolling grasslands to steep rock outcrops. Some oil and gas activity has occurred, but no producing wells have been found to date.
This area is also rich in coal and wildlife. The 436,000 acre Ashland Ranger District contains the largest contiguous block of land in Federal ownership in eastern Montana and has one of the largest grazing programs in the nation. The present day Ashland Ranger District was originally known as the Otter Forest Reserve, and later became the original site of the Custer National Forest Supervisor's Office. The Ashland Ranger District is located in south-central Montana.