Quick Tips
- GPS highly recommend
- Use horses or don't go into wilderness
- Watch out for rapid weather changes
- Leave a hunt plan with friends and family
On The Ground
Upper Stillwater unit is in Park County southwest of Billings and west of Red Lodge. Gallatin National Forest along with Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness makes up over 90% of the area offering thousands of acres of public access. The Beartooth Range includes the highest peak in Montana, 12,807 foot Granite Peak. The Wyoming State line creates the southern boundary. Only residents may apply for limited antlered bull license.
Mature bulls call live from 8,600 to over 9,500 feet in elevation. Getting into the Stillwater River drainage can take a lot of effort. Expect to see a few bulls ranging from 120” to 140” Boone and Crockett.
Terrain
Granite Peak tops out above 12,000 feet and is joined by a number of 11,000 foot mountains. Joining these lofty peaks are many alpine lakes and basins that are above timberline. Upper and Lower Aero Lakes are at elevations above 10,000 feet. Grasshopper, Sky top, and Granite Glaciers can be found in the Beartooth Range between 10,000 and 11,000 feet. Headwaters of Sky Top, Goose, and Zimmer Creeks all begin above 10,000 feet. Stillwater River begins below 10,500 foot Miller Mountain a heads north while Broadwater River and Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone travel south east carrying tremendous amount of snowmelt out of the backcountry each spring. Elevations, ruggedness of mountains, and deep valleys make travel in the wilderness and National Forest extremely challenging.
Roughly 117 square miles
95.7% public land
Elevations from 7,400-12,800 feet
Vegetation
Thousands of acres of alpine plateaus are carpeted with wildflowers of all varieties, moss, and lichens including large expanses of tundra. Much of the mountain slopes are solid rock faces with little vegetation. The slopes with cover are made up of dense stands of spruce, fir and pine. Willows line creek bottoms and small parks have lush grasses. Ridges heading off the Beartooth Range have stringers of spruce, fir, and pine starting around 9,000 feet. Dense stand of timber can be found on north facing slopes broken up by wide open parks of grasses and flowers. Mountain shrubs hang on slopes and ridges below 8,000 feet. River banks are lined with stands of pine, spruce. along with dense clusters of willows.
Access
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks states “Backcountry - Remote location, access difficult.” Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness is extremely hard to access even with a network of over 180 miles of hiking and pack trails. Gallatin National Forest provides a good system of Forest Service roads that lead to trailheads. Be prepared to travel fast if heavy snows blanket the wilderness as trails can become impassible.
Please be aware of the wilderness regulations for hiking and stock before entering the wilderness area
Major roads near unit; U.S. Highway 89 & 212 (Beartooth Scenic Byway), Montana Route 298
Daisy Pass Road heads to Lake Abundance
Camping and Lodging
Camping is restricted to up to 16 days within Absaroka Beartooth Wilderness and Custer Gallatin National Forest. Red Lodge, Gardiner, Big Timber, and Livingston provide a variety of motels, café and restaurants, medical facilities, and gas and diesel. The distance from the wilderness area to towns may exceed 40 miles. Columbus, Big Timber, and Livingston have regional medical facilities.
Livingston: Yellowstone Valley Inn, Murray Hotel, Livingston Inn, Montana’s Rib & Chop House, Pinky’s Café, Gil’s Goods
Big Timber: Big Timber Valley Inn, Grand Hotel & Saloon, Thirsty Turtle, Country Skillet
Gardiner: Riverside Cottages, Yellowstone Village Inn, Hillcrest Cottages, Yellowstone Park Café, Lighthouse Restaurant, the Raven
Red Lodge: Yodeler Motel, Red Lodge inn, Alpine Lodge, Café Regis, Honey’s Café, Red Lodge Café
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