Spirit Mountain is a prominent high summit in Montana’s Beartooth Mountains, rising 12,288 feet within the Absaroka-Beartooth Wilderness of Custer National Forest. As one of the taller peaks in the range, it stands in the severe alpine environment typical of the higher Beartooth country. Its subarctic climate brings long, very cold winters and short, mild summers. Winter temperatures can drop below minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and wind chills can fall below minus 30 degrees, underscoring the harsh conditions that shape this mountain landscape.