Tucked away in southeast Montana’s Powder River Valley, Buck Creek is an 8,000-acre patch of shortgrass prairie speckled with sagebrush, sandstone outcroppings, and colorful badlands. There are no trails here, so you can choose your own adventure as you follow the game trails that weave in and out of Buck Creek’s many nooks and crannies. There are plenty of dry creek beds and broad sandstone ridges where you can pitch a tent, and the area is home to healthy populations of mule deer and elk, which thrive in the hidden valleys that make Buck Creek so fun to explore.
Photo by Forrest Theisen