| The Sioux Ranger District, located
in the southeast corner of Montana and the northwest corner
of South Dakota, is often, and justly, described as "islands
of green in a sea of rolling prairie" - hills or mesas of
ponderosa pine rise above rolling grasslands.
One of the largest populations of Merlins (a small falcon)
known in North America occurs on the District. |
|
Our southwest section, the Beartooth
Ranger District is one of the gateways to Yellowstone National
Park, and is part of the greater Yellowstone area, one of
the largest intact temperate ecosystems left on the planet.
Views from Beartooth Scenic Byway are spectacular, as the
road winds upward of 11,000 feet. The Beartooth Mountains
are one of the crowning scenic glories of the Custer Forest,
offering some of the best hikingfishing around - and a scenic
byway that is nothing short of awe-inspiring. |
|
South-central Montana's Ashland
Ranger District offers a variety of topography, varying from
rolling grasslands to steep rock outcrops. Vegetation varies
from prairie to dense stands of ponderosa pine.
|
The
Custer National Forest has offices in Billings, Red Lodge,
Ashland, and Camp Crook, SD. The forest encompasses about
1.3 million acres, with 345,599 acres that are Designated
Wilderness. The Custer is well known for lake and stream fishing,
and provides habitat for mountain goats, big horn sheep, elk,
muley and white-tail deer, black bear, cougar, and moose.
