Custer National Forest

Custer National Forest is a densely-wooded region with carpets of alpine wildflowers and elevations ranging from about 2,500 feet in eastern Montana to 12,799-foot-high Granite Peak.

The forest covers three districts in two states, South Dakota and Montana.

The forest's Sioux Ranger District in the northwest corner of South Dakota offers excellent antelope, mule and white-tailed deer and turkey habitat.

There are no designated hiking trails, but most of the ridges are open and provide panoramic views. This region is described as "islands of green in a sea of rolling prairie." It has distinctive limestone formations, archaeological sites, campgrounds, picnic areas and five stocked fishing ponds with crappie, rainbow trout and bass.

The Ashland Ranger District in south-central Montana has the largest grazing program of any forest in the nation. The area has a varied landscape, from rolling grasslands to steep rock outcrops. There is picnic and camping facilities, a rental cabin and three riding and hiking areas.

The Beartooth Ranger District, located south of Billings, Montana, encompasses much of the Beartooth Mountains and a section of the Pryor Mountains.

The Beartooth Mountains are home to a downhill ski area, trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and cross-country skiing, the Beartooth National Scenic Byway, campgrounds and a portion of the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness.