Big Sky Country is surely one of the most jaw-dropping regions of the USA. You can head there to stand on the so-called “Front Porch of the Rockies” in Choteau or hike through the “Crown of the Continent” in the fabled Glacier National Park amid shark-fin summits and roaring waterfalls. What’s striking is that Montana is the fourth largest state by area yet in the bottom three states when it comes to population density. The upshot? This is a perfect destination if you like remote, uncrowded places. If this sounds like your idea of a great place to visit, then the little settlement of Sula could be just what you’ve been searching for.
Sula sits on the fringes of the vast Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness, straddling Highway 93 as it wiggles up from the Idaho border. Don’t expect much in the way of modern development — the population count of Sula as of 2025 is a mere 45 people. What you can look forward to is a front-row view of the Bitterroot Valley, a land of soaring peaks, good access to local ski fields, and a truly serene space amid the ranches of western Montana.
Did we mention that Sula is remote? Getting here will require a bit of dedication. The nearest place to fly into is Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport, which is just over 3 hours to the east by car. These days, it’s got some good domestic connections to major US hubs like Chicago and Los Angeles, along with car rental outlets. The alternative is to make Sula a stop on a cross-Rockies road trip. It’ll take around 4.5 hours to drive here from Spokane via I-90 and just over 6 hours to get in from Boise.
The great outdoors surround Sula
There’s one main reason you’ll want to venture to Sula, Montana: to immerse yourself in the region’s vast wilderness. Situated in the south end of the Bitterroot Valley, the bijou town is hemmed in by mountains on both sides. To the east, the skyline is dominated by the 158,615 acres of the Anaconda Pintler Wilderness. To the west, the 1.3 million acres of the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness erupt, spilling from Montana all the way into Idaho.
There’s plenty here to tempt the budding adventurer. Anaconda Pintler is a land of spruce forests and glittering lakes, where wild elk roam in the shadow of 10,793-foot-high West Goat Peak. There are long sections of the Continental Divide Trail to complete within the region, but also lots of shorter day hikes, including creek trails, summit trails, and lakeside walks.
But all of that is dwarfed by the sheer colossus of a reserve that is the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness. It’s the third-largest wilderness reserve in the contiguous United States, with nearly 2,000 miles of marked-out hiking trails to explore. The eastern front of the mountains is easier to reach from Sula since you only have to drive up the 93 Highway to access the trailheads there. Once you arrive, options include the stunning Blodgett Canyon hike, comprised of 8.5 miles of towering hoodoos, granite peaks, and waterfalls, and the challenging route to Trapper Peak, where you’ll be rewarded with panoramic views of large portions of western Montana.
Serene mountain escapes courtesy of Sula
