Rocky Mountain High: How Many Stunning Mountain Ranges Are in MT?

There are mountains all over the place in Montana - we all know that. But even I was surprised to learn just how many distinct mountain ranges there are across the state, with even more 'sub' ranges. It's a pretty impressive number.

Most Montanans know quite a bite of outdoor and mountain trivia...it's just stuff you learn when you live here. For instance, Granite Peak is Montana's highest peak at 12,799 feet. Cooke City has the highest elevation of any town in Montana at 7,580 feet. (That doesn't include ski resorts - only real towns.)

But when you try to name as many mountain ranges as you can, you'd probably come up short by dozens of names. It's amazing to see the full list of mountain ranges found in Montana, especially since so many of them are packed into the western half of the state.

We've listed the mountain ranges that are located (at least partially) in Montana. You can see the mountain range name, the 'home' county for the range, and the average altitude of the mountains within that range. NOTE: A few have counties from other states such as Idaho - that means the vast majority of the range is in Idaho, but it's listed below as a portion can be found in Montana.

According to the United States Board on Geographic Names, there are well over 100 named mountain ranges and sub ranges that are located (at least partially) in Montana. Another interesting detail is that mountain ranges (understandably) don't have exact borders. Makes sense, eh? And did you know the Spanish Peaks are a sub range of the Madison Range? I didn't!

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Absaroka Range; Park County, Montana; 13,140 feet
Anaconda Range; Deer Lodge County, Montana; 10,197 feet
Badger Hills; Big Horn County, Montana; 4,655 feet
Bears Paw Mountains; Blaine & Hill County, Montana; 4,623 feet
Beartooth Mountains; Park County, Montana; 12,693 feet
Beaverhead Mountains; Lemhi County, Idaho, 11,352 feet
Big Belt Mountains Broadwater County, Montana; 7,385 feet
Big Horn Mountains; Big Horn County, Montana; 4,734 feet
Big Sheep Mountains; Dawson County, Montana; 2,900 feet
Big Snowy Mountains; Fergus County, Montana; 6,673 feet
Bitterroot Range; Clearwater County, Idaho; 7,126 feet
Bitterroot Mountains; Mineral County, Montana; 7,208 feet

Photo by Steven Cordes on Unsplash

Grave Creek Range; Missoula County, Montana; 6,135 feet
Black Reef; Lewis and Clark County, Montana; 6,378 feet
Boulder Hills; Jefferson County, Montana; 5,768 feet
Boulder Mountains; Deer Lodge County, Montana; 6,096 feet
Bridger Range; Gallatin County, Montana; 8,747 feet
Bull Mountains; Musselshell County, Montana; 3,845 feet
Butcher Hills; Carter County, Montana; 3,553 feet
Cabinet Mountains; Sanders County, Montana; 4,058 feet
Calderwood Hills; Valley County, Montana; 2,799 feet
Castle Mountains; Meagher County, Montana; 8,117 feet
Cayuse Hills; Sweet Grass County, Montana; 5,079 feet
Centennial Mountains; Clark County, Idaho; 10,177 feet
Eastern Centennial Mountains; Clark County, Idaho; 10,180 feet
Western Centennial Mountains; Clark County, Idaho; 9,390 feet
Chalk Buttes; Carter County, Montana; 4,134 feet
Coeur d'Alene Mountains; Sanders County, Montana; 3,497 feet
Crazy Mountains; Park County, Montana; 11,214 feet
Dahl Hills; Valley County, Montana; 3,245 feet
Dickie Hills; Silver Bow County, Montana; 7,831 feet
Dry Range; Meagher County, Montana; 6,152 feet
Ekalaka Hills; Carter County, Montana; 3,720 feet
Elkhorn Mountains; Jefferson County, Montana; 4,944 feet
Flathead Alps; Powell County, Montana; 8,337 feet
Flathead Range; Flathead County, Montana; 6,102 feet
Flattops; Carter County, Montana; 3,835 feet
Flint Creek Range; Granite County, Montana; 6,542 feet

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Franklin Hills; Sweet Grass County, Montana; 4,879 feet
Gallatin Range; Gallatin County, Montana; 9,737 feet
Gallatin Range; Park County, Wyoming; 9,003 feet
Garnet Range; Powell County, Montana; 6,014 feet
Granite Range; Stillwater County, Montana; 11,092 feet
Gravelly Range; Madison County, Montana; 8,258 feet
Greenhorn Range; Madison County, Montana; 8,622 feet
Henrys Lake Mountains; Madison County, Montana; 10,148 feet
Highland Mountains; Madison County, Montana; 9,081 feet
Highwood Mountains Chouteau County, Montana; 5,148 feet
Honeycomb Hills; Powder River County, Montana; 3,094 feet
Horn Mountains; Madison County, Montana; 7,638 feet
Horseshoe Hills; Gallatin County, Montana; 6,673 feet
Humbolt Hills; Carter County, Montana; 3,314 feet
John Long Mountains; Granite County, Montana; 7,923 feet
Judith Mountains; Fergus County, Montana; 6,017 feet
Larb Hills; Phillips County, Montana; 2,549 feet
Lewis Range; Glacier County, Montana; 8,172 feet
Lewis and Clark Range; Powell County, Montana; 7,109 feet
Limestone Hills; Broadwater County, Montana; 4,977 feet
Little Belt Mountains; Meagher County, Montana; 8,195 feet
Little Rocky Mountains; Blaine County, Montana; 4,531 feet
Little Snowy Mountains; Fergus County, Montana; 5,978 feet
Little Wolf Mountains; Big Horn County, Montana; 4,800 feet
Livingston Range; Glacier County, Montana; 9,321 feet

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Long Pines; Carter County, Montana; 4,094 feet
Madison Range; Madison County, Montana; 9,308 feet
Spanish Peaks; Madison County, Montana; 8,441 feet
The Wedge; Madison County, Montana; 10,548 feet
Milk River Hills; McCone County, Montana; 2,644 feet
Mission Range; Lake County, Montana; 6,063 feet
North Hills; Missoula County, Montana; 3,556 feet
North Moccasin Mountains; Fergus County, Montana; 5,384 feet
Opheim Hills; Valley County, Montana; 3,304 feet
Papoose Hills; Valley County, Montana; 2,815 feet
Park Hills; Meagher County, Montana; 6,260 feet
Pike Creek Hills; Petroleum County, Montana; 3,707 feet
Piney Buttes; Garfield County, Montana; 2,651 feet
Pioneer Mountains; Beaverhead County, Montana; 10,065 feet
Pryor Mountains Big Horn County, Carbon County, Montana; 6,417 feet
Purcell Mountains; Lincoln County, Montana; 7,707 feet
Rattlesnake Mountains; Lake County, Missoula County, Montana; 8,620 feet
Rocky Hills; Beaverhead County, Montana; 6,916 feet

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Ruby Range; Madison County, Montana; 8,727 feet
Salish Mountains; Lincoln County, Montana; 5,049 feet
Sapphire Mountains Ravalli County, Montana; 7,582 feet
Sawtooth Range; Teton County, Montana; 7,877 feet
Smoky Range; Flathead County, Montana; 7,100 feet
Snowcrest Range; Madison County, Montana; 9,846 feet
South Hills; Missoula County, Montana; 3,592 feet
South Moccasin Mountains; Fergus County, Montana; 4,951 feet
Spear Hills; Powder River County, Montana; 3,694 feet
Spokane Hills; Lewis and Clark County, Montana; 4,058 feet
Swan Range; Flathead County, Montana; 7,385 feet
Sweet Grass Hills; Liberty County, Toole County, Montana; 6,309 feet
Taylor Hills; Carter County, Montana; 3,474 feet
Tendoy Mountains; Beaverhead County, Montana; 7,854 feet
The Pine Hills; Custer County, Montana; 3,202 feet
The Pinnacles; Cascade County, Montana; 6,545 feet
Thoeny Hills; Phillips County, Montana; 3,104 feet
Three Buttes; Blaine County, Montana; 3,848 feet
Tobacco Root Mountains Madison County, Montana; 7,497 feet
Whitefish Range; Flathead County, Montana; 6,982 feet
Wilson Range; Glacier County, Montana; 7,119 feet
Wolf Mountains; Big Horn County, Montana; 4,842 feet

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Gallery Credit: mwolfe

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Source: Rocky Mountain High: How Many Stunning Mountain Ranges Are in MT?