Situated where the Prairie meets the Rocky Mountains, Augusta provides the closest access, of any of the towns along The Rocky Mountain Front, to the trailheads for the Bob Marshall and Scapegoat Wilderness areas and the Lewis & Clark National Forest.
Guest ranches in the area offer riding, rustic cabins, hunting, fishing and sightseeing trips. The area teems with wildlife, and the real meaning of being in a major bird flyway is understood in the spring and fall.
Hikers, backpackers and horseback riders assemble in Augusta to access the 1,500,000 million acres of unspoiled, rugged beauty in the high country. There are ten beautiful lakes ranging from 6 to 25 miles from town, and many excellent fishing streams are close by.
In addition to the spectacular landscape, true western hospitality awaits visitors to Augusta with it's gift shops, an array of food and drink opportunities, motel/hotel accommodations, campgrounds and an RV park. Spend some time exploring our wonderful area, then shop, have dinner in town, and make some new friends!
Cuddled in the shadow of the Rocky Mountain Front, Augusta serves as the Trailhead to the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex and a great place for outdoor recreation. Augusta is the "Gateway to the Crown Jewel" of the wilderness system. The Bob is one of the most completely preserved mountain ecosystems in the world. It is the kind of wilderness most people can only imagine: 1.5 million acres of rugged peaks, alpine lakes, cascading waterfalls, shimmering crystal clear streams and large remote river valleys.
The Scapegoat Wilderness was designated in 1972 at 239,936 acres through a "grass roots" community effort and earned a place in history as the first citizen-initiated wilderness area in the nation.
The Scapegoat's acreage contains approximately 320 miles of system trail. The Scapegoat Wilderness is dominated by the massive limestone cliffs of the 9,204-foot Scapegoat Mountain that extends south from the Bob Marshall's Chinese Wall. Elevations range from 5,000 feet on the North Fork of the Blackfoot River to 9,400 feet on Red Mountain, the highest peak in the Complex.
The Lewis and Clark National Forest lies in central and north central Montana within the upper Missouri River system. The Forest's namesakes, Lewis and Clark, led their expedition through these lands and waterways.
The Forest's elevation ranges from 4,500 to 9,362 feet at the top of Rocky Mountain Peak in the Rocky Mountains. Landscapes range from broad prairies to rugged ridges and mountain peaks. Beautiful grassy parks and mountain meadows are surrounded by forests of douglas fir and lodgepole pine.
The Forest has 1,600 miles of perennial streams and a few small natural and man-made lakes where visitors may fish for trout and mountain whitefish. There are 14 boat camps and 20 miles of frontage on the Smith River, a nationally-acclaimed blue ribbon trout stream. Additionally, over 60 streams are known to support westslope cutthroat trout, an imperiled native fish of the upper Missouri River basin.
The Lewis and Clark Forest is home to a wide range of wildlife: elk, deer, mountain goat, bighorn sheep, black bear, mountain lion, blue grouse; lynx, bald eagles, grizzly bears, peregrine falcon and gray wolf. The Forest contains many popular viewing sites for migrating waterfowl.
On many National Forests and Grasslands, you can stand in the exact places Lewis and Clark stood, imagine what they saw, and discover what has changed.
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