Wilderness (motels, camping, subdivisions)

[Funny_74]

Is there lots of wilderness in Montana? We're planning to go there as tourists, is it dangerous? What should we respect there? Thx

[ElkHunter]

You can find a lot of information HERE.

Depends on what your definition of dangerous is. Are you truely wanting to get into wilderness? There are no roads, not towns, no stores, etc. You'll hike in and camp with tents. Or you can stop on the road at the edge of wilerness and see it "way over there".

If you are a novice, it can be real dangerous. If you are experienced, it's no more dangerous then driving to the store and shopping.

[Rickers]

It also may depend on your definition of "wilderness"

I would suggest looking at the websites for the various national forests. The officially designated and protected wilderness areas are within the boundaries of the various national forests. There are also vast areas of "wilderness like" areas in pockets all over the state. There are trails in the official wilderness areas but no roads.

Another thing is that at times grizzles will wander out into the prairie and even animals like coyotes can kill folks. Many hikers trust bells and bear spray but more than a few may advise taking a large caliber hand gun into the wild areas.

You may encounter ticks that carry rocky mountain spotted fever and we have a few docile prairie rattle snakes and mosquitoes can spread west nine virus as well as other illnesses.
Then there are the lions and wolves but it is unlikely that you will see those.

I'm betting that you will be sorry you didn't plan for more time to visit than most folks usually do.

Remember that Montana is a pretty large state, (4th largest in the U.S. and a bit larger than all of Germany. Have fun.
Most folks have no problems visiting here.

[Funny_74]

Originally Posted by ElkHunter

You can find a lot of information HERE.

Great, thanks.

[Jbechtel]

There's some wonderful outfitters in our state that will take you out in the wilderness with pack horses loaded with everything you would need or like. That may be a great way for someone not accustimed to our Rockies to get started. We have public protected ranges here in the US so there are no subdivisions nestled high up near our peaks like in your Alps. You will be far from everything. They provide want you need and will talk to you about the dangers to watch for. Take notes and you'll learn a lot from them. Everyone has problems from time to time but you'll have to weigh the risks to see if it's worth it for you.

[bongo403]

What do you plan to do on your vacation? If you want to take part in typical tourist activities but are worried about accidentally wandering into the wilderness and running into trouble - well, it isn't that likely to happen. There are plenty of cities and towns.

And yes, there is a lot of wilderness too. There is the true wilderness that ElkHunter speaks of - which I wouldn't recommend that you venture into unless you are experienced.

But there are also lots of places you can go to get the "in the woods" experience without going deep into the wilderness (car accessible campgrounds with real bathrooms, places where your cell phone works, etc). You still need to take reasonable precautions for wildlife, but it's easy to find places that are pretty safe and non-threatening.

[Funny_74]

Thanks for all your recommendations. We're plannig to do a road trip from NY to Seattle, passing Montana as we want to see the Rocky Mountains. Am not sure yet if we'll go camping or look for guest house, we'll see. Just wanted to know if - in case we get lot on the road - we might be facing problems with wild animals ... :-)

[ElkHunter]

You shouldn't have any problems camping in campgrounds along the road. Most are manned by Forest service or Game and Fish and they'll tell you if there has been any bear activity. That would be the only concern that I would have. Bear attacks are rare and it's usually because a bear has gotten used to food being availble in a dumpster so they get brave. Then they think you're after their food.

[Clark Fork Fantast]

Originally Posted by Funny_74

Thanks for all your recommendations. We're plannig to do a road trip from NY to Seattle, passing Montana as we want to see the Rocky Mountains. Am not sure yet if we'll go camping or look for guest house, we'll see. Just wanted to know if - in case we get lot on the road - we might be facing problems with wild animals ... :-)

You're in for an amazing time! The only wildlife to be concerned about on a roadtrip such as you're planning is when you're driving at or after sunset--you're likely to have deer, elk, moose and antelope crossing the road, even the freeway. So I'd recommend that you don't do much nighttime driving. You'll miss all the great scenery if you do, anyway! Plan on looking for lodges rather than motels--they're more fun to stay at, especially if they have individual cabins. You can do a lot of research on Google Earth, and get an idea of the scenery and available facilities.