If being outdoors is what lights your candle then look no further than northwest Montana.
In state tourism booklets it is referred to as "Glacier Country".
Not surprisingly, Glacier National Park is located in this section of the state.
Glacier is certainly a major draw to this area but there is so much more to experience if you love the outdoors.
For instance just across the road (Highway 2) from Glacier you will find the Flathead National Forest.
The Flathead National Forest is approximately 2.
3 million acres and is home to Hungry Horse Reservoir, The Great Bear Wilderness, Jewel Basin, The Bob Marshal Wilderness and the Mission Mountains Wilderness.
Approximately one million acres has been designated as wilderness, which means you won't find, motorized vehicles on you trails.
You also won't run into the crowds that you will in the park.
There is something for every kind of outdoor enthusiast.
In the wilderness areas you will have to either haul your own grub and gear or hire an outfitter to take you by horseback.
But, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of trails reachable by car and many that are perfect for day hikes and picnics.
If you are an angler there are lakes, rivers and creeks in abundance.
Rafters will enjoy the shoot down the Flathead River.
The Flathead River runs to Flathead Lake, which is the largest freshwater lake in the west being slightly larger than Lake Tahoe in California.
At Whitefish, which is a quaint western style town you will find Whitefish Lake and Big Mountain.
In winter Big Mountain is the main ski area.
In the summer there are loads of trails to explore on foot.
And, if that's not enough outdoors for you just to the north and extending all the way to the Canadian border is the Kootenai National Forest another 2.
3 million acres.
Probably the best-known outdoor area in the Kootenai is the 10 Lakes Scenic Area.
10 Lakes is currently part of a wilderness study area and, at least for the time being, you won't be bothered by un-natural noises.
There are two lovely little lakes and camping.
The lakes are twenty-eight miles in from Highway 93.
Hiking opportunities abound and if you are of a mind to, and have the right vehicle, you can take dirt roads all the way into Glacier.
The Kootenai has a man made lake called the Koocanusa.
The lake is some ninety miles long.
It runs right into British Columbia.
The name comes from "Koo" for the Kootenai, "can" for Canada and "usa" for USA.
Kind of corny but there you have it.
For anglers there are kocanee salmon, for water skiers more water than you can ski, and for hikers trails in every direction.
Because the Kootenai is not so famous or close to Glacier it's not on very many peoples radar.
The majority of the Kootenai is located in Lincoln County.
There are only two towns to speak of Libby and Eureka and ninety-two percent of the land is owned either by the state or the U.
S.
government.
That means a lot less people if that's your pleasure.
The state tourism office puts out a great trip planner I highly recommend.
It's a great place to start you dreaming.
The planner outlines six of the state's "countries" including Glacier.
Log on to the state site at http://www.
visitmt.
com.
I also highly recommend that you visit the local ranger stations wherever you are to get maps and important information about trails and camping in the national forests.
The entire state still has less than one million people in it even though it is the fourth largest in the US.
So just about anywhere you go, outside the national parks, you'll have a lot of privacy.
I'm just partial to Glacier Country because that's where I live and do much of my outdoor photography.
My dog Koty Bear and I spend the majority of our time hiking the trails in the Kootenai and Flathead National Forests.
If you should run into a gal with a Nikon slung round her neck and a Siberian husky leading the way that will be us.
Be sure and say "Howdy".