Everything about Montana is extraordinary. It's Big Sky Country. It's green meadows and vibrant lakes and raw peaks and bison and bears and elk and miles and miles of untouched wilderness. It's one of the few places there's some real WILD left.
But if you want the MOST wild. The MOST Montana. You gotta go way North. And you gotta go way West.
And tucked away in the mountains, there you'll find The Yaak.
The Yaak Valley in northwest Montana is one of the most remote and least-traveled wilderness areas in the state...and the country. Tucked away in the farthest corner of the Kootenai National Forest, near the Canadian border, it’s a place of dense cedar forests, rugged mountains, and winding rivers. Sure, there are parts of Montana that have grown up, that have lost there sense of wild. But not here. Here, you can go days and days without seeing another person. In fact, you might be able to sneak into those woods and never see another person again.
The valley is home to a mix of grizzly bears, moose, wolves, and mountain lions, making it one of the last strongholds of true wilderness in the Lower 48. The trails here are rough, often unmarked, and can feel more like old game paths than well-worn routes—but that’s part of the appeal. I was lucky to do some backpacking up there. It was absolutely, unimaginably beautiful beyond words. I'm not even willing to share all my photos because they are special and sacred. I'll give you one, though.
Take a good look at the crazy steep scree field shown in this photo. It was a LONGGG way down. And I don't even want to talk about the way back up. This trip was unlike any other I've ever had. Not only was it mind-blowingly stunning, it was also grueling. Legitimately, this is not for beginners. It required scrambling, precise movements, advanced-level bushwhacking, and the knowledge of maneuvering through predator territory.
I stayed on the far side of that lake. My tent opened up to the turquoise waters and the peaks that I had descended from. It was truly a dream. A dream that left me with sore legs and a full heart.
If you’re looking for solitude, adventure, and a deep sense of Montana’s raw, untamed beauty, the Yaak delivers.