The Trail Less Traveled

The Northern Rockies region is home to the largest collection of pristine free-flowing rivers and native trout fisheries left in the lower 48 states. The headwaters of these pristine rivers originate in three sprawling wilderness complexes – the Crown of the Continent along the US-Canadian border; the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem where the Missouri, Snake, and Green rivers are born; and the Salmon-Selway Ecosystem in central Idaho, where endangered salmon and steelhead still migrate 900 miles from the Pacific Ocean to spawn.These rivers are defined by their WILD, FREE-FLOWING CHARACTER, clean water, intact native fish and wildlife assemblages, and world-class recreation opportunities. All of the native fish species that were present here two centuries ago can still be found here today, including five subspecies of cutthroat trout, bull trout, rainbow trout, steelhead, Chinook salmon, and white sturgeon. Among the iconic wildlife species that call these rivers home are grizzly and black be