The Bitterroot Mountains, a portion of the Rocky Mountains, are probably the best known peaks of the Bitterroot Range. The most rugged peaks in the Bitterroots, between Lolo and Lost Trail Passes, are often referred to as the Montana Alps; their glacier-swept horns, ridges, and high cirques attract many climbers to the windswept granite peaks, despite approaches up to 20 miles in length.

In 1805, Lewis & Clark and the Corps of Discovery traveled along the Lost Trail through the Bitterroot Mountains during their journey to the Pacific Coast. Cold and hungry, they descended into the valley of the Salish Nation where they encountered 440 Native Americans in an area now known as Ross' Hole.

These mountains, with long arduous approaches to major peaks, are some of the most impenetrable in the United States; except for areas of the foothills, the Selway-Bitterroot Wilderness remains mostly unexploited.

In southwest Montana, the Bitterroots are extremely popular to those seeking recreation. From one-pitch trad, sport, and top rope climbs in Kootenai Canyon, bouldering near Lost Horse, multi-pitch big wall aid climbs in Blodgett and Mill Creek Canyons, plus mountaineering and hiking on the high peaks, the "root" provides unlimited opportunities. One could spend a lifetime on the peaks between the Lolo and Lost Trail Passes and never run out of new and interesting things to see and do.