Pryor Mountain Backcountry Loop

The Pryor Mountains rise like an island from the high plains between the Beartooth and Bighorn ranges, harboring one of America’s most remote backcountry areas. This 45-mile loop starts near Warren and winds through the Pryor Mountain Wild Horse Range, home to free-roaming mustangs that have grazed these ridges for over a century. The route climbs through Commissary Ridge and drops into Mystery Cave country, where limestone formations create a landscape more reminiscent of Utah than Montana.

This is expert-level terrain requiring lockers, armor, and recovery gear. Expect loose rock, steep grades up to 30%, and sections where one wrong move puts you over a cliff. Summer only — typically July through September when snow clears the 8,000-foot ridgelines. No services, no cell coverage, and rescue is a long way off. Pack everything you need and then some. The reward is seeing wild horses in their natural habitat, exploring unmapped caves, and experiencing one of Montana’s last truly wild places where few humans ever venture.