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.
-From https://www.nationalforests.org