The lakes I saw were small and tucked fabulously into glacial cirques, and much more numerous than lakes in the Absarokas. The Absarokas, in contrast to the Beartooths, have more vegetative cover including dense forests and broad mountain meadows crossed by meandering streams. Here you'll find rolling mountains and fewer peaks, none with a summit higher than Mount Cowan at 11,206 feet. You may see bighorn sheep and mountain goats in the most rugged country, elk and deer, moose and marmot and coyote, black bear and members of a substantial population of grizzly bears. The more harsh Beartooths provide habitat for far fewer animals.
Trout live in many of the lakes and streams in both ranges.
More than 700 miles of hiking trails provide access to this area, a backpacker's dream, and human visitors are many. July through September. A Wilderness map is available for three dollars from the forest rangers. Click here to find out how. Copyright Rodale, Inc. 2000.