With more than 6 million acres of public land, northwest Montana might be America’s largest outdoor destination. In the summer, travelers head to the many lakes and forests for hiking and water activities. In winter the land settles under a blanket of snow and the water under sheets of ice, creating a winter-sports paradise, particularly for skiers.

The region’s rivers, streams, lakes, and mountains attract outdoor adventurers, but once here, they discover playhouses, art galleries, craft breweries, and summer festivals and rodeos. In winter visitors seek out northwest Montana’s six ski areas and scores of cross-country ski trails. But some of the best times to visit are the shoulder seasons, particularly in September, when there are fewer crowds and gorgeous days.

Between the Canadian border and Missoula, tree-lined lakes and snowy peaks punctuate glaciated valleys scoured out by ice sheets some 12,000 years ago. A growing destination for golf, boating, skiing, and other outdoor recreation, the fertile Flathead and Mission Valleys support ranching and farming, and are becoming known for some of the state’s best restaurants.

Squeezed between two magnificent mountain ranges the glacially formed Seeley–Swan Valley is littered with lakes, sprinkled with homesteads, and frosted with snow for five months of the year. One road, Highway 83, winds along an 80-mile course that follows the Clearwater and Swan rivers, popular for boating and fishing—both winter ice fishing and summer trout fishing. Several trailheads lead into the Bob Marshall Wilderness from the Swan Valley. Modern amenities are as sparse as the population. Only about 2,000 people reside here year-round, so you are much more likely to encounter a dozen deer than a dozen humans. Summer visitors fill campgrounds and the few guest lodges. Besides snowmobiling and cross-country skiing, winters bring snow, drippy weather, and low clouds, but that doesn't keep anyone indoors.

The metropolitan area of Missoula, with a population of approximately 75,000, is the largest concentration of people in the region. Home of the University of Montana, it’s a business and shopping center and offers many arts and cultural attractions.

This history-filled Bitterroot Valley south of Missoula was once home to Nez Perce who helped Lewis and Clark find their way through the mountains. The expedition’s campsites, plus historic mansions and missions, are scattered in and around Stevensville, Hamilton, and Darby, towns founded by early settlers attracted by temperate weather and fertile soil.The valley is named for the state flower, the delicate pink rosette-shape bitterroot, which blooms in late spring; its roots were a staple of the Salish Indian diet.