Land Regions and Size of Montana

Montana is a hunter’s paradise and can fill the needs of almost all sportsmen. It is known as the “Treasure State” because it is so rich in gold, silver, copper, and other minerals. Forest cover almost a fourth of Montana. These forest lands lie mainly in the western part of the state. This wooded area has almost eighty five hundred miles of fishing streams and many lakes. Montana’s scenic beauties and hunting and fishing grounds attract many visitors. Hunting guides and outfitters abound with guided hunts of all kinds.

Location and Size: Montana lies south of the Canadian provinces of British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. North Dakota and South Dakota are to the east. Wyoming and Idaho form the southern boundary, and Idaho also borders the state on the west. Montana’s area of over 147,000 square miles of land makes it the fourth largest state. This also makes it one of the most popular for a guided trip.

Land Regions: Montana has two main natural land regions, the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. The Great Plains make up the eastern three fifths of the state. The high, gently rolling land is broken by hills, scattered mountains, and wide river valleys. Many small mountains called buttes have been sculptured into unusual and beautiful shapes by the wind and rain. Isolated mountain ranges, including the Bear Paw, Little Rocky, Judith, and Big Snowy, rise sharply from the plains. Colorful “Badlands” lie in southeastern Montana. These are strange formations of clay and stone carved by thousands of years of erosion. Large farms and ranches occupy most of the Great Plains.

The Rocky Mountains cover the western two fifths of Montana. This region has beautiful valleys, sparkling rivers, mountain lakes, thick forests, and snow-capped peaks. More then 50 separate mountain system rise in this section of the state.

The most important ranges include the Absaroka, Beartooth, Beaverhead, Bitterroot, Bridger, Cabinet, Crazy, Flathead, Gallatin, Madison, Mission, Swan, and Tobacco Root. The highest peaks rise east of the Continental Divide, which runs from north to south across the state; Granite Peak, in Park County, is the state’s highest mountain. It rises 12, 799 feet. Many of the mountain valleys are flat and as much as 40 miles wide.

As you can see Montana hunting guides and outfitters have many unique places available to them for a guided hunt. The small and big game can be found throughout the many areas listed above, not to mention the upland birds and waterfowl, which are very popular for hunters that plan guided hunts here.