Kootenai National Forest

In Montana's far northwest corner bordering Canada and Idaho, the Kootenai National Forest encompasses 2.2 million acres of some of the most ecologically unique terrain in the Northern Rockies. The Cabinet Mountains Wilderness protects a rugged chain of glacially carved peaks harboring mountain goats, wolverines, and a small, critically endangered population of grizzly bears and woodland caribou -- among the last remaining south of the Canadian border in the lower 48 states. The Ross Creek Giant Cedars grove preserves ancient western red cedars up to eight feet in diameter and hundreds of years old, remnants of an inland rainforest ecosystem sustained by the forest's exceptionally high precipitation. Kootenai Falls, the largest free-flowing waterfall in the northwestern United States, thunders through a dramatic limestone gorge and holds deep spiritual significance for the Kootenai Tribe. Lake Koocanusa, a 90-mile-long reservoir stretching into British Columbia, provides outstanding boating, fishing, and lakeside camping opportunities. The forest's lush cedar-hemlock old growth, extensive huckleberry fields, and remote backcountry trails make it a haven for visitors seeking solitude in a Pacific Northwest-like landscape tucked within Montana's interior.