Should a haven for grizzlies be off limits to hikers? Kylie Mohr
The Cabinet Mountains frame Kootenai National Forest near Montana’s Yaak Valley.
The Pacific Northwest Trail is a wild wonder that takes hikers through one of America’s few inland temperate rainforests. For 1,200 miles, it winds along the Canadian border, through rugged mountains and gaping valleys in Montana, Idaho, and Washington, until it meets the Pacific Ocean. © Photograph by Chris Howes, Wild Places Photography/Alamy Stock Photo
Bracken carpets the forest floor at Ross Creek Cedar Grove in the Kootenai National Forest.
Since it was designated in 2009, the PNT has flown under the radar, compared to other popular long-distance trails, such as the Pacific Crest Trail and the Appalachian Trail. But the roughly 70-mile section of the PNT that runs through Montana’s Yaak Valley is a sore spot, at a time when outdoor spaces across the country have become popular due to the pandemic.
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