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The Bitteroots’ granite-framed lakes draw plenty of dayhikers- but connect the ponds by piling on the miles and steep elevation gain, and you’ll leave everyone else in the dust. For private views over tarns and stony summits, climb 7,195-foot Packbox Pass behind Big Creek Lakes, trace an untracked ridge south on the Montana-Idaho border, skirt Sky Pilot peak, and drop into the Middle Fork Bear Creek Valley beside Bryan Lake, crossing the Bitterroot Divide twice, for a four day, 27.2-mile horseshoe. Info fs.usda.gov/bitterroot