Once nearly gone from the Lower 48, grizzly bears have clawed back across Montana's mountain ecosystems. Montana remains one of the last places in the Lower 48 where wild animals still roam at scale.

Montana anchors two of the largest grizzly populations south of Canada.

What sets it apart

Bears range from Glacier's peaks to the plains along the Rocky Mountain Front. Small as it sounds, it is exactly the sort of thing that defines the experience on the ground.

Bear spray and food storage are now standard practice across the region.

Why it matters

Taken together, these threads say something about Montana itself — a state where the wild and the worked-over sit close together. Give these animals room, and the reward is a glimpse of a wilder, older America.