Master hunters of the wind, golden eagles patrol Montana's grasslands and canyon rims. Few states offer a window into wild America quite like Montana.

Golden eagles hunt jackrabbits and ground squirrels across open country.

What sets it apart

The Rocky Mountain Front hosts one of the continent's great migration flyways. That detail is easy to overlook, but it helps explain the pull this place has on Montanans and visitors alike.

Biologists count thousands passing along the Front each fall.

Why it matters

In the end, the story here is really a story about the northern Rockies and the people drawn to them. Give these animals room, and the reward is a glimpse of a wilder, older America.