Tier 2 — best under-2-hour option nobody talks about. Off the beaten path (FR 107) into the Tobacco Roots past Mammoth toward the Curly Lake / Louise Lake trailheads — dispersed camping along the dirt road a mile or so past the old townsite. Granite peaks, alpine lakes, and MTB access; far quieter than anything in the Gallatin.
Bear country: food-storage order in effect — hard-sided vehicle or bear box.
Before you go: check road/fire alerts and download offline maps — cell dies past the highway.
- MTB context: mtbr.com thread
- Map (Tobacco Root Mtns): google.com/maps