Montana's Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex, affectionately known as “The Bob,” is located in Northwestern Montana on lands traditionally inhabited by the Amskapi Piikani (the Blackfeet Nation of Montana), the Niitsítapi (the Blackfoot Confederacy), the Séliš (Salish), Ql̓ispé (Pend d’Oreille or Kalispel), and Ktunaxa (Kootenai) tribes. The third largest Wilderness in the lower 48, The Bob Complex is made up of three separate wilderness areas: The Bob Marshall Wilderness, established in 1964; The Scapegoat Wilderness, established in 1972; and the Great Bear Wilderness, established in 1978.
Considered by many to be the “crown jewel” of the Wilderness system, the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex is comprised of over 1.5 million acres of untrammeled wilderness that stretches from Glacier National Park in the north, to Rogers Pass to the south in the northern Rockies of Montana. Named after the conservationist and forester, The Bob Marshall Wilderness was first designated in 1940 — a year after Marshall’s death — to honor his contributions to the preservation of the area. Once the Wilderness Act was passed by Congress in 1964, the Bob Marshall Wilderness became part of the National Wilderness Preservation System.
Straddling the continental divide, The Bob is comprised of towering limestone reefs (including the famous Chinese Wall), range after range of majestic mountains, lush forests, broad basins and valleys, and two “wild and scenic” designated rivers. It also contains some of the best wildlife habitat in the lower 48 for elk, deer, moose, mountain goats, bighorn sheep, black bear, and the threatened grizzly bear.