Most western Montana residents live within an hour’s drive of a trailhead that leads us into a favorite backcountry roadless area. Our families enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, and other great outdoor experiences in these places. We know and love that these areas are generally easily accessible, yet provide traditional outdoor opportunities. These places include the Rocky Mountain Front, the Pioneers, the Gallatin Range, Scotchman Peaks, the Big Snowies, the Great Burn and many more.

County Happenings & The Roadless Backcountry Near Your Home: Maps, resources, and local roadless information for YOU!

Road Maintenance Backlog: With a $558 million road maintenance backlog on 32,000 miles of Forest Service roads in Montana alone, it only makes sense to maintain the roads we have before considering building new ones.

Hunting and Fishing and the Backcountry: Learn why roadless areas are important for the future of hunting and angling opportunity, quality, and success in Montana.

Motorized Use: Certain roadless areas are open to motorized recreation, such as trail bikes and snowmobiles. That decision is left to local Forest Service land managers, through the local forest planning process.

Read All About It: For those who like the details- articles and important documents to learn more about the Montana Roadless Process.

What Is A Roadless Area?

The Forest Service identified backcountry areas without roads on National Forest Land in 1972 and again in 1979 through processes called Roadless Area Review and Evaluation (or RARE I & RARE II). The backcountry areas officially inventoried as roadless through the RARE evaluations are currently the same places being evaluated through the Montana Roadless Process.

Montana Roadless Facts:

Montana Landbase (acres): 94,109,542
Total Inventoried Roadless (acres): 6,397,000
Percent of MT land base: 6.8%

Support the Backcountry: Governor Schweitzer is listening to Montanans who know, use, and love our National Forests. Learn why the backcountry needs your support more than ever.